A total of 21,260,000 metric tons of Russian crude oil was supplied to Belarus in 2013, or 1.9 percent less than the previous year, according to Belarusian government sources, BelaPAN said.
Of the total amount, about 19.3 million tons was reportedly delivered by the Druzhba pipeline and some two million tons was delivered by rail.
Although Minsk requested 23 million tons for 2013, Russia initially agreed to supply only 18.5 million tons. However, Belarus reportedly received 11.25 million tons in the former half of the year and expected to receive the same amount in the latter half.
Following the arrest of Vladislav Baumgertner, director general of Russian potash company Uralkali, in Minsk on August 26, Russia reduced oil deliveries, explaining that it had actually agreed to supply18.5 million tons in 2013.
Following talks at various levels, Russian officials announced that Belarus would receive a little more than what Russia originally agreed to supply but less than the amount Minsk requested.
Despite Belarus' intention to sign an oil supply agreement with Russia for the entire 2014 calendar year, the two countries have so far agreed on the supply of oil for only the first half of the year. Under the agreement, Russia is to supply 11.5 million tons of crude oil to Belarus in January-June 2014.
Russian government officials have said on a number of occasions that the amount of crude oil to be supplied to Belarus in 2014 will depend on the outcome of five industrial integration projects.
These projects include link-ups between Russia's OAO Roselektronika and Belarus’ electronics company AAT Intehral, between Russia`s truck maker KamAZ and Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), and between Russia’s EuroChem and Belarus’ chemical company AAT Hrodna Azot, as well as the integration of Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant (MZKT) into Rostec, Russia’s state-owned industrial and defense conglomerate formerly known as Russian Technologies, and the integration of Belarus’ defense industry company AAT Pelenh into Russia’s aerospace industry.
