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Belarus president wants negotiations on oil deliveries from Russia finished within hours

MINSK, 31 December (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with top officials of the national petrochemical industry on 31 December to discuss matters of oil deliveries and oil refining, the press service of the Belarusian leader told BelTA.

The head of state noted he had invited participants of the meeting to discuss in detail the relevant matters in continuation of his phone conversations with President of Russia Vladimir Putin on 30 December and 31 December.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also said he had had a phone talk with Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak. “We’ve just finished talking. I’ve conveyed our arrangements with President Putin to him,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I contacted the minister directly (it goes against the protocol) because the new year starts tomorrow while we have no contracts on oil deliveries to Belarus.”

After the meeting Chairman of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim Andrei Rybakov said that in continuation of the phone conversations Aleksandr Lukashenko gave instructions to finish negotiations between commercial entities of Belarus and Russia within hours and sign contracts on oil deliveries to Belarus in order to ensure the uninterrupted operation of two Belarusian oil refineries.

The head of state also gave instructions to ensure the delivery of oil from alternative sources within the next few days. Oil delivery by rail from Baltic Sea ports was mentioned as well as alternative deliveries via the oil pipeline system Druzhba.

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