Belarus Extracted Its First Oil in America

The president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the President of Venezuela Ugo Chaves took part in opening the joint Belorussian-Venezuelan enterprise on oil extraction near to the Venezuelan city San-Tome near to the capital of the state Ansoategi - Barcelona.

Joint venture plans to extract already at the first stage up to 1 million tons of oil, by 2011 extraction in Venezuela can reach already 5 - 7 million tons a year.

When in the end of March, 2007 Ugo Chaves declared about oil extraction in Venezuela by the Byelorussians (22 agreements in various spheres were signed then as a result of negotiations with the state secretary of Security Council of Byelorussia Victor Sheiman in Caracas), this message was apprehended with great scepticism.

Now, when on the 7^th of December, 2007 the President of Venezuela went with Alexander Lukashenko along the streets of Carakas by 130 ton "BelAZ", production of automobile and tractor factories in Minsk, dairy and agricultural equipment, food staff and even vodka had been already delivered to Venezuela! When the Byelorussians extract oil from two wellsites in the region of a river Orinoko, skeptics losses their optimism.

The Belarus national exhibition in which more than 200 enterprises participate takes place in Venezuela!

An agreement on creation of joint venture on assembly in the long term up to 3 thousand tractors a year specially adapted for the countries of Latin America has been signed between Venezuela and Belarus, an agreement on construction of habitation in suburb of Caracas under the Belarus project, by the Belarus builders with budget cost of 400 million dollars has been also signed!

As it was informed earlier, on November, 15th, 2007, three weeks ago the USA declared refusal of import of Belarus petrochemical production in connection with introduction by the Ministry of Finance of the USA of sanctions against state concern "Belneftekhim" and its representation in Russia, Ukraine, China, Germany, Latvia, also American "daughter" Belneftekhim USA, Inc. was added to the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons. All actives of figurants of this list in the USA should be frozen, they are forbidden to carry out business on the territory of the USA.

As we can see, such nervous and absolutely illegal reaction of the USA is directed on the Byelorussian enterprise and prospects of oil extraction in Venezuela and its realization directly to the USA through branch company, by the way "Belneftekhim" had already calculated damage from sanctions, it made already 17 thousand US dollars!

Now discordant voices in relation to the question where Belarus is going to put the Venezuelan oil to can be heard.

Well - for the first, it can realize it through the Venezuelan marketing network, by the way one of the largest supplier to the USA. The second discussed way - delivery by tankers to Klaipeda and transposition to Novopolotsky oil refinery in Belarus, suddenly the third variant appear!

Delivery on equivalent circuit of oil to Klaipeda for needs of "Mazjekyaj Nafta" to which deliveries of the Russian oil are not conducted any more though the oil pipeline "Druzhba" is possible, in exchange to receive electric power from Ignalinskaya atomic power station, but here there is more policy, than economy.

Belarus, thus, can reduce dependence on the Russian gas and establish normal economic relations with the EU country - neigbour Lithuania in such sensitive sphere as deliveries of oil.

In this connection it is necessary to recollect that Presidents of Belarus and Iran in May, 2007 approved coordinated by "Belorusneft" (it's a part of concern "Belneftekhim") and the Iranian government plan of joint development of oil and gas deposit Jufejr (with productivity nearby 1,5 million tons oil a year). "Belorusneft" is going to develop it together with Vietnamese state petrocompany Petrovietnam.

By the way visit of the President of Belarus A.G. Lukashenko to Vietnam has been already repeatedly postponed and now high-ranking delegation from this dynamically developing country is working in Minsk. May be the Byelorussians will extract oil also there?

On this background it is very amusing to observe long-term motions of the Allied state of Belarus and Russia led by active P.P.Borodin who cannot adjust for so much years even normal information interaction with Belarus, nobody knows in Russia anything about life of the only ally!

There is no talking about oil and gas extraction in Tyumen by the Byelorussians, for information: on results of 10 months oil and gas extraction in Russia has decreased!

On this background it's interesting to look at the results of sociological research carried out on November, 2007 by Analytic Center EsooM in Belarus (1500 respondents, sample error - 3.4%).

The Head of EsooM Sergey Musienko noted that 11.8% considered creation of the Allied state possible. "More likely yes" answered 33,5%. He also added that 0,8% of the respondents consider that such Allied state has been already created. 4,1% of the respondents didn't answer to a question concerning to opportunity of creation of the Allied state of Belarus and Russia. Efforts of the president of the Russian Federation V. Putin on strengthening of the Union of two states consider insufficient 28,6% of the respondents, "more likely insufficient" - 53,2%, 4.9% estimated them positively, 13.3% said that those efforts "more likely" sufficient.

The results of the answer to a question concerning efforts of the president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko directed on strengthening of the Union with Russia turned out to be opposite. 40% of the respondents consider such efforts of the chapter of the Belarus state sufficient, "more likely, yes" - 48%. 5.2% estimated A.Lukashenko's actions as insufficient, "more likely no" - 6,8%.

According to research, Musienko informed, 32,9% of the interrogated citizens of Belarus declared that they considered efforts of the State secretary of Allied State Pavel Borodin on strengthening of the Union insufficient. "More likely no" - 31.2%. 7.5% treat activity of P.Borodin on strengthening of the Union positively, "more likely yes" - 26.3%, the head of the Analytic Center EcooM said.

Musienko noted that more than 80% of respondents considered restrictions entered by Russia on sale of the Belarus goods in its market unreasonable. To the question "Whether Russia enters restrictions on sale of the Belarus goods reasonable?" 42,3% of interrogated Byelorussians said "no", "more likely no" - 43,0%. 3,1 % consider the actions of the Russian part reasonable, "more likely yes" - 4,2%. 7.4% were at a loss to answer the given question, the head of Analytical Center ЕсооМ specified.

As he said, the opinion of the respondents concerning ability of existing sale-economic contradictions to destroy allied relations went fifty-fifty. In particular, the head of EsooM informed, 19,8% said "yes" and 17,5% - "more likely yes" answered a question "Whether trading wars are capable to destroy the Union of Belarus and Russia?". 14,7% answered "no", 17.7% - "more likely no". Besides Sergey Musienko paid attention that 30,2% of the respondents said that "Union exists formally and there is nothing to destroy".

The majority of the Byelorussians consider actions of Russia in relation to Belarus inefficient. 25,0% called such actions "absolutely inefficient" and 46.4% of the respondents called them "more likely inefficient". 5.1% consider such actions "quite effective", 6.8% - "more likely effective"- the head of Analytical center ЕсооМ informed.

P.S. The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Belarus and Azerbaijan was ratified on the 6^th of December, 2007 by the upper chamber of the Belarus parliament, for 10 months of current year sales volume between Belarus and Azerbaijan has increased 2.5 times, oil extraction by the Byelorussians in this country is also in plans.

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