Russia to sell discounted crude oil to Pakistan, Musadik Malik reiterates

ISLAMABAD: Russia will sell crude oil to Pakistan at a discounted price, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik reiterated while rubbishing claims by his colleague Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, ARY News reported on Friday.

Russian officials had clearly told Pakistan they would provide discounted crude oil to Pakistan, said Musadiq Malik while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

The minister’s response came a day after Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto had said that Pakistan “is not pursuing or receiving” any discounted energy from Russia.

“We are taking talks [with Russia on crude oil] forward,” the State for Petroleum Musadik Malik continued, adding that Russia had eight different types of crude oil of which two could be used by refineries in Pakistan.

He went on to say that Pakistan was also working on a framework of an agreement with Azerbaijan regarding LNG cargo.

FM Bilawal interview

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said Thursday that Pakistan is “not pursuing or receiving” Russian oil at a discounted price.

In an interview with PBS Newshour, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said that Pakistan “is not pursuing or receiving” any discounted energy from Russia, but exploring various options.

“Pakistan’s infrastructure is not made for Russian oil, though the country could engage with the country on cheap energy in the future,” he added.

FM Bilawal, however, admitted that Pakistan was facing energy insecurity. “We are exploring various avenues to expand our areas where we can get our energy from,” he said.