Russia offers crude oil on discount to Pakistan, says minister
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Malik described the recent tour to Moscow "more successful than expectations".
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – State Minister for Petroleum Musaddik Malik said on Wednesday Russia had agreed to provide crude oil to Pakistan at discounted price but did not reveal the exact discount percentage.
Malik at a media talk in Islamabad described the recent tour to Moscow “more successful than expectations”. In late November, the petroleum minister led a Pakistani delegation to Russia to finalise agreement for oil import as the South Asian country scrambles to control skyrocketing fuel prices in the country.
His statement comes after reports suggested that Russia had refused to provide 30-40 per cent discount on crude oil to Pakistan.
The minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed to revamp the policies in order to make Pakistan independent in agriculture. “We need to increase the growth rate to seven per cent,” he said. He also lashed out at the previous government of PTI for taking the country’s economy to the dead end.
Last month, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar hoped that Pakistan would succeed in inking the agreement on favourable terms. The country’s finance czar said the US could not stop Pakistan from purchasing the Russian oils.
Addressing a gathering in Dubai on Nov 13, Dar had said Islamabad aimed at signing the import deal with Moscow on terms similar to those agreed by New Delhi.
