Pakistan is looking to procure 2-3 cargoes of LNG from Russia for the month of December 2022 and January 2023 at discounted prices and deferred payment facility, official sources told ProPakistani.
According to details, the Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik wrote a letter to the Russian Energy Minister on 11th October 2022 conveying interest to the Russian side to procure 2-3 cargoes of LNG for the month of December and January. However, the Russian side is yet to respond.
Officials said that as per information available in the Petroleum Division, Russia itself has not offered to supply gas in a recent meeting with the present government. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that during the bilateral meeting of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines SCO Summit at Samarkand in September, the premier discussed the matter of import of oil and gas products from Russia.
Accordingly, it was highlighted that Pakistan is ready to send a team to Moscow to further discuss LNG import on concessional rates and deferred payments to make the transaction affordable for Pakistan.
The matter of import of oil and gas from Russia is under consideration at Petroleum Division. It has been referred to the concerned directorates and entities for their concerted input. The prime minister has also formulated a Thematic Working Group to initiate discussions on oil and gas cooperation with Russia.
It is pertinent to mention here that a Pakistani delegation headed by Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik has flown to Russia for talks on issues including oil and gas supplies.
