Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Belarus is ready to sign a new contract on Nov. 25 setting prices on natural-gas supplies from Russia and approve selling its stake in Beltransgaz, Belta reported, citing First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko.

Belarus will sell 50 percent of the national pipeline operator Beltransgaz to Russia for $2.5 billion, Semashko was cited as saying by the state-run news service. He declined to say how much Russia will charge Belarus for gas shipments next year, according to Belta.

OAO Gazprom, Russia’s export monopoly, already owns 50 percent of Beltransgaz.

--Editors: Paul Abelsky, Alan Crosby

To contact the reporter on this story: Aliaksandr Kudrytski in Minsk, Belarus at akudrytski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net