Azerbaijan will start oil exports to the Czech Republic via Ukraine next year, the
vice-president of state oil company SOCAR has said.
"Oil transportation to Ukraine,
the Czech Republic,
Slovakia and Poland does not
depend on political agreements. At present, we are discussing the final details
on this. We will begin oil transportation to the Czech Republic from next year,"
Elshad Nasirov told journalists.
Azerbaijan supports the supply of 2 million tonnes of
refined oil via Ukraine to
the Czech Republic per year, he said.
Ukrainian state energy
company Naftogaz is holding talks with Azerbaijan on the supply for oil for
refining at Ukraine's Kremenchug refinery, the deputy chairman of the Naftogaz
board, Vadym Chuprun, told journalists in Kiev on Tuesday. A delegation left
for Baku on 19
September to discuss the deal, Chuprun said.
It has not yet been
announced whether Azerbaijani oil refined at Kremenchug
will be the basis of supplies to the Czech
Republic.
Azerbaijani oil already
meets some 25% of the Czech
Republic's oil needs. Azerbaijani
crude is supplied to Czech refineries at Kralupy via the Italian port of Trieste. The plans for export via Ukraine
constitute a new route.