Belarus has not asked Russia for oil loans, Semashko says

GOMEL, 28 January (BelTA) – The Belarus-Russia oil negotiations in January did not consider giving Belarus a Russian loan to finance oil purchases for Belarus' oil refineries, BelTA learnt from First Vice Premier of Belarus Vladimir Semashko. “The Belarusian oil refineries borrow from national and foreign banks to purchase oil,” the First Vice Premier said. As for the reports in mass media on the new terms of the Russian oil supplies to Belarus, Vladimir Semashko noted that many do not know or forget that “our plants buy almost 50% of oil themselves”, the other half is the oil refined under a tolling scheme. Even during the negotiations we had to remind the partners that almost half of the shares of the Mozyr oil refinery belong to a Russian company. Why should it pay a 100% duty on the imported oil?” he said.

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