Russia ready to provide cheap oil to Pakistan if contacted: CG

KARACHI: Consul General of the Russian Federation in Karachi Andrey Fedorov has said that his country is ready to provide cheap oil to Pakistan if contacted by the Pakistani government, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Russian Consul General Andrey Fedorov confirmed that the former prime minister Imran Khan discussed the trade of Russian oil during his visit to Moscow. He also confirmed that the sanctions on Russia could affect trade ties with Pakistan.

The consul general added that Russia could not foresee an immediate solution to its conflict with Ukraine. Fedorov said that Ukraine is unserious about peace dialogues with Russia.

The diplomat said that Moscow will provide cheap oil to Pakistan if it is contacted by the government.

READ: ‘PAKISTAN WISHES TO MAINTAIN POSITIVE MOMENTUM IN TIES WITH RUSSIA’

Earlier in the day, former energy minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar asserted that the incumbent government was also barring private companies from buying oil from Russia.

The former federal minister claimed that Bangladesh is also close to an agreement to buy cheap oil from Russia, reiterating that the PTI-led government would have bought Russian oil in April if they were still in power.

Hammad Azhar further said the fuel companies have Rs600 billion in oil profits while the KP and Punjab governments were also paying Rs100 billion respectively. “Rs300 billion was set aside for oil subsidy. If we could get cheap oil from Russia, we would have saved this amount,” he added.

READ: ‘PTI GOVT DECIDED TO BUY RUSSIAN OIL ON DISCOUNTED RATES IN APRIL’

In response to a question, he said that the PTI government had started talks with Russia in mid-March. “On March 29, we received a call from Ambassador in Moscow, who informed that Russia was interested in selling oil cheaper,” he added.

The former finance minister said that the “imported” government was also barring private companies from buying oil from Russia. “If even 2-3 per cent economic growth is achieved next year, it will be a great accomplishment for the government,” he added.