Russian oil firm may not restart oil product exports to Belarus

MOSCOW, Mar 25 (PRIME) -- Petrochemical companies Taneco, a unit of Russian oil company Tatneft, and Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat, an affiliate of gas giant Gazprom, may not restart exports of oil products to Belarus, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters on Friday.

“They may not restart them, I do not think there is profit for them in it,” he said. “No decisions (on a restart of supplies) are necessary. I only told them that they should have a look whether everything is correct and normal there.”

On March 18, the two companies suspended delivery of oil products to Belarus on recommendation of the Russian government.

In December 2015, Moscow and Minsk signed an agreement under which Russia will export 24 million tonnes of oil to Belarus in 2016, while Minsk is to transfer 1 million tonnes of gasoline to Russia in exchange. But in January, Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky said Belarus had violated its liabilities on supplies of oil products to the country in exchange for Russian oil, and Moscow may introduce special measures against Minsk.

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