Kazakhstan mulls restricting oil products import from Russia in 2013

Photo courtesy of munaigaz.kz

Kazakhstan might restrict the import of oil products from Russia until the end of 2013, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Director of Oil Industry Department of Kazakhstan Oil and Gas Ministry Kuandyk Kulmurzin. “We need to minimize the supplies of Russian fuel to Kazakhstan to reduce the volumes of the returned oil and decrease the payments to Russia. With no customs posts it is possible to minimize the supplies by introducing decrees limiting import from Russia. We are working into this document. Most probably, the restrictions will be in effect until the end of this year,” Kuandyk Kulmurzin said. According to him, the restrictions of supplies from Russia will first of all cover low-octane AI-80 petrol and summer diesel fuel. According to the Ministry, the share of Russian fuel at the Kazakhstan market is currently 40 percent. Kazakhstan imported 1.3 million tons of oil products from Russia in 2012. Last September Russia and Kazakhstan signed a protocol on amendments to the agreement on oil and oil products supplies. The protocol’s terms provide for duty-free supplies of oil products from Russia to Kazakhstan to meet the country’s domestic needs in the volumes complying with the approved indicative oil products balance at the territory of both countries. The document also specifies mechanisms of compensation of shortfalls of incomes of Russia’s federal budget from the duty-free supplies of oil products to Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan party is performing cross-supplies to Russia in exchange for the imported Russian oil products. Earlier Tengrinews.kz English reported that in the beginning of March Kazakhstan Oil and Gas Minister Sauat Mynbayev said that Kazakhstan could cease gas supplies to Russia.

Kazakhstan might restrict the import of oil products from Russia until the end of 2013, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Director of Oil Industry Department of Kazakhstan Oil and Gas Ministry Kuandyk Kulmurzin. “We need to minimize the supplies of Russian fuel to Kazakhstan to reduce the volumes of the returned oil and decrease the payments to Russia. With no customs posts it is possible to minimize the supplies by introducing decrees limiting import from Russia. We are working into this document. Most probably, the restrictions will be in effect until the end of this year,” Kuandyk Kulmurzin said. According to him, the restrictions of supplies from Russia will first of all cover low-octane AI-80 petrol and summer diesel fuel. According to the Ministry, the share of Russian fuel at the Kazakhstan market is currently 40 percent. Kazakhstan imported 1.3 million tons of oil products from Russia in 2012. Last September Russia and Kazakhstan signed a protocol on amendments to the agreement on oil and oil products supplies. The protocol’s terms provide for duty-free supplies of oil products from Russia to Kazakhstan to meet the country’s domestic needs in the volumes complying with the approved indicative oil products balance at the territory of both countries. The document also specifies mechanisms of compensation of shortfalls of incomes of Russia’s federal budget from the duty-free supplies of oil products to Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan party is performing cross-supplies to Russia in exchange for the imported Russian oil products. Earlier Tengrinews.kz English reported that in the beginning of March Kazakhstan Oil and Gas Minister Sauat Mynbayev said that Kazakhstan could cease gas supplies to Russia.

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