FIRST STEP TO RUSSIAN PROPERTY NATIONALIZATION?

The Supreme Economical Court of Belarus has cancelled registration of private unitary manufacturing firm “Zapad-Nefteprodukt”, which forms a part of Russian state company “Transnefteproduct” (TNP) and to which the whole system of truck oil-products pipelines of Belarus belongs. According to the “Kommersant”, this decision is the first staep to nationalization of Russian state property in Belarus. Russian FM has prepared a corresponding note to Belarusian government. The problem of Russian oil-products pipeline will be discussed in Moscow at the meeting of the two presidents planned for July 25. Unlike the system of oil-trunk pipelines of the former USSR (ITS Russian part is a part of the “Transneft” now), the Union part of the pipelines was not divided between other ex-USSR countries. It happened so because before the USSR division the oil-trunk pipelines was under the jurisdiction of the State Oil Products Committee of the Russian Soviet Social Federation. According to Bishkek treaty of the CIS countries signed in September 1992 Belarusian part of the oil-trunk pipelines, as well as Ukrainian and Kazakh ones, have become a Russian property. Later they became a part of TNP, State Oil Products Committee’s assignee. For almost 10 years after Bishkek treaty Belarus bore with the fact that foreign pipelines were on its territory without any profit for the country. However, Belarus did not recognize it Russian property. Property rights were notformalized in the agreement between the two countries in 1997. It could not stay like this forever. However, Belarus will hardly dare such extraordinary measures. The situation would be left suspended, as the Kommersant informs: pumping would not be stopped, all money transfers would be carried out in time.