Belarus aims to start importing oil either through the ports of the Baltic States or Ukraine by the end of this year as an alternative to Russian transit, said Deputy Director General of the Belarusian Oil Company (BNK) Sergey Grib on Tuesday.
According to Russian news agency TASS, Grib said during the Export of Belneftekhim products to the EU seminar in Minsk, that the ports of the Baltic countries and Ukraine are interested in Belarus directing "additional flow of oil through their ports, since for them this means additional income."
Grib noted that when selecting partners, the conditions offered in neighboring countries, either in the Baltic ports or Odessa, would be key to the selection process for transportation.
He added that of the available options, the Mozyrsky Oil Refinery close to Ukraine and Naftan near Baltic ports are the two most likely.
Oil from Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and a number of other countries can be refined in Belarus, according to Grib.
Earlier, he said that Belarus is studying the possibility of buying terminals in Latvia and Lithuania for possible imports of 200,000-300,000 tonnes per month of oil by sea.
By Talha Yavuz
Anadolu Agency