Minsk: Belarus, Russia to sign oil balance for H2 2013 soon
MINSK. May 20 (Interfax) - Russia and Belarus will sign the oil balance for the third and fourth quarters of 2013 - based on annual oil demand in Belarus totaling 23 million tonnes - in the near future, Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said.
"There is every indication that the balance for the third and fourth quarters will be signed soon. We assume the need for 23 million tonnes a year," Semashko told journalists in Minsk on Saturday. Signing the balance promptly will enable Belarus to deliver oil products to Russia in strict accordance with its commitments and give Russian companies access to Belarusian refineries, he said.
The issue of crude oil imports was discussed at a recent meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Semashko said.
Dvorkovich confirmed that Belarus was meeting its commitments on delivery of refined product to Russia and that Russian companies were refining crude at Belarusian plants.
Belarus delivered 561,000 tonnes of high-quality fuel to Russia in the first four months of the year, which helped to hold down fuel price inflation in April-May, he said.
Russian companies accounted for about 40% of the oil being refined at Belarusian refineries, compared with a give-and-take percentage of 28% in the same period of 2012.
Refineries in Belarus, which is receiving 5.75 million tonnes of Russian oil each quarter, will operate at full capacity throughout the first half of the year.