Moscow and Islamabad continue their talks about Russian oil supplies, but no concrete agreements have been reached so far, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulgin has said.
"The negotiation process on oil supplies has not been completed, so it is premature to talk about any agreements, even preliminary ones," he said in an interview with Pakistan’s The Nation newspaper, published on Wednesday.
He went on to say that issues of oil purchases and related discounts are commercial ones. Both sides are working to make the agreement mutually beneficial, to solve logistical and financial issues in order to start full-fledged trade of Russian oil, the minister added.
Russia sees no problems for Pakistani companies to purchase oil on the same terms as other partners, Shulgin said.
A regular round of consultations within the framework of the Russia-Pakistan intergovernmental commission on trade, economic and scientific cooperation will be held in Islamabad between January 18 and 20. Shulginov will head the Russian delegation. The Pakistaniani delegation will be led by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. The talks are expected to focus on payments for fuel, transport expenditures and insurance.
