Russia Tells Belarus Uralkali CEO Detention May Harm Ties
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Russia pressured Belarus to free Vladislav Baumgertner, the head of OAO Uralkali, the world’s biggest potash producer, saying a refusal may harm relations as the smaller nation faces a funding crunch.
“The fact of Baumgertner’s detention and the media campaign around it doesn’t correspond to the nature of our relations as allies,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement after summoning Belarusian Ambassador Igor Petrishenko today in Moscow.