Zaika: Selling Motherland has never been effective
Economist Leanid Zaika has commented on Myasnikovich’s statement about selling Belarusian enterprises to Russia.
Euroradio: Prime Minister Mihail Myasnikovich said yesterday that the Belarusian government was conducting negotiations with Russian investors about the possibility of selling seven big state companies. According to him, the sale of “Hrodna Nitrogen” to “SIBUR” or “Rosneft”, “Naftan” – to “LUKOIL”, “Beltransgaz” – to “Gazprom”, Mazyr oil processing plant – to “Rosneft”, the state share of Belarusian MTS -“to Mr. Yevtushenko”, “MAZ” – to “Russian machines” and “Russian technologies” and “Integral” – to “Russian Technologies” is being discussed. However, “Rosneft” and “SIBUR holding” refuted any negotiations with Belarus about the purchase of oil assets. Can you comment on it?
Zaika: “The thing is that the Belarusian authorities are starting to divide the common property now – they will divide the property that was created neither by Maysnikovich, nor by Lukashenka. Russians do understand that if the situation in Belarus changes, there will be a lot of problems for the companies dividing the property. This is the first problem. The second thing is the controlled democracy in Russia. The Kremlin could recommend that they should not be in a hurry”.
Euroradio: Who is lying in this situation? Is it Myasnikovich who says that such negotiations are in process?
Zaika: “Myasnikovich is in a complicated situation. He has to invent something in order to find from 5 to 15 billion dollars. He may sell his trousers, even if it is not the last pair, but he may do it and return to Minsk like a winner and say: we have done a good thing -we have sold our family silver. Nobody is lying. I think that it is an ordinary game”.
Euroradio: Belarus is in for total privatization although Lukashenka has promised to avoid it in his speeches so many times.
Zaika: “If Belarusians demonstrate their negative attitude to the division of property, the President may stop. We are in a bad situation and we should not sell our own country. It is time we started creating our own business. We have to help the country on our own”.
