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Belarus interested in duty-free oil deliveries from Kazakhstan

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MINSK, 5 February (BelTA) – Belarus is interested in duty-free deliveries of oil from Kazakhstan, BelTA learned from Deputy Prime Minister Igor Lyashenko on 5 February.

The official said that the agreement on delivering Kazakh oil and oil products to Belarus is nearly ready, primarily administrative procedures are left to be addressed. “I think it will be signed very soon,” Igor Lyashenko said. “The commercial side of things is more of an issue: deliveries with a duty or without one. The Kazakh side is considering it. It is understandable that the Belarusian side is interested in duty-free oil acquisition. It will allow bringing the cost of Kazakh oil to that of Russian oil as much as possible.”

As for means of delivery, Igor Lyashenko noted that pipeline transport is likely to be chosen.

The official said that a delegation of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim will travel to Kazakhstan on 6 February to discuss oil deliveries.

BelTA reported earlier that Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed a decree to authorize the government to conduct negotiations with Kazakhstan on trade and economic cooperation in the area of delivery of oil and oil products to Belarus. The government was also authorized to negotiate a draft agreement and sign it provided the parties come to terms within limits of the approved draft. Previously Aleksandr Lukashenko repeatedly mentioned Kazakhstan as one of the countries Belarus may potentially import oil from. The matter was discussed among other things during the official visit of the Belarusian head of state to Kazakhstan in October 2019.

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