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Belarus plans to import 26 million tons of oil this year, says first deputy prime minister

Belarus plans to import 26 million metric tons of crude oil this year, First Deputy Prime Minister Uladzimir Syamashka told reporters in Minsk on February 16.

Under the two countries' fuel and energy distribution estimates for the period until 2020, Belarus is to import 21,670,000 tons of crude from Russia in 2011, Mr. Syamashka said.

In addition, he noted, four million tons is to be supplied to Belarus from Azerbaijan through Ukraine’s Odessa-Brody pipeline under a swap contract with Venezuela.

As much as 19,000 tons of oil had been received under that contract as of 11 a.m. on Sunday and 21,000 tons will now be received every day, Mr. Syamashka said. As a result, the total amount of the imported oil will be in line with the projection, he said. //BelaPAN