Saturday 8 October 2016 - 10:25
Story Code : 234390
Belarus, Iran in talks on oil supplies - President
MINSK (Sputnik)Belarus is intalks withIran onsupplies ofoil, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday.
"We have been intalks withIran which is desperately trying tofind an oil market and is ready tolower prices," Lukashenko told Belarusian lawmakers. He added that the country's refineries should not face shortage ofoil deliveries and should receive crude oil tothe full extent. Belarus faces decline inoil deliveries fromRussia.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that the decrease indeliveries was linked toMinsk's gas debt and shortfall ofpetrochemicals' deliveries toRussia. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that the level ofdeliveries could be restored if Moscow and Minsk reached an agreement onthe gas debt. Moscow and Minsk have been locked intalks overthe price ofRussian gas supplied toBelarusian consumers.
In July, Novak said that Belarus owed $270 million inunpaid gas bills toRussia. Minsk has been refusing torecognize the debt, saying that the price of $132.77 per 1,000 cubic meters ofgas demanded byMoscow is unfair. Russia has stressed that payments must be made inline withthe contract. At the same time, the Belarusian leader said that oil and gas issues should not be mixed.
By Sputnik
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