Minsk in Talks with Tehran over Oil Purchase: Belarusian President
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said Minsk has entered talks with Tehran to import oil and gas from the Islamic Republic.
Negotiations with Tehran are underway on importing oil and gas, Lukashenka said, speaking at a session of parliament in Minsk on Friday, Sputnik reported.
He added that the country's refineries should not face shortage of oil deliveries and should receive crude oil to the full extent.
Belarus faces decline in oil deliveries from Russia. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that the decrease in deliveries was linked to Minsk's gas debt and shortfall of petrochemicals' deliveries to Russia.
In the meantime, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that the level of deliveries could be restored if Moscow and Minsk reached an agreement on the gas debt.
Iran sits on the world’s fourth-largest oil and second-largest gas reserves, and is among the world’s top 10 oil and top five natural gas producers.
