Belarus to sue Russia in case of no dirty oil compensation agreement


Reconstruction of the Druzhba oil pipeline between Mazyr and Brest in October 2018. Photo – Forum / TASS

It was announced by Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Ihar Lyashenka at a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic on June 28, BelTA informs.

Belarus is ready to solve the issue of compensation for lost profits due to oil pollution in court.

“It’s obvious that the issue with the neighboring Russian side will be resolved in court in case of failure to reach an agreement,” said Ihar Lyashenka.

Answering the question about the future of low-quality oil in Belarus, Deputy Prime Minister stressed that its entire amount is being pushed back to the territory of Russia which is engaged in its disposal.

“We have no plans to keep it. These are our agreements,” said Lyashenka.

In total, Russia will have to clean up or destroy from 1 to 3 million tons of oil.

On April 19, Belneftekhim announced a sharp deterioration in the quality of the Russian oil coming to Belarus via “Druzhba” pipeline. The concentration of organochlorine compounds in the oil was dozens of times higher than the standard values.

Both Belarusian refineries – in Mazyr and Navapolatsk – had to reduce capacity utilization and suffered losses.

According to Lyashenka, the cost of oil-damaged equipment at the Mazyr refinery alone is about $30 million.

belsat.eu

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