'Russia to raise oil exports to Belarus in 2014'

Minsk, April 19 (IANS) Russia has agreed to increase oil flows to Belarus in 2014, a media report here said Friday citing a Russian official.

Russia will ship 23 million tonnes of crude oil to Belarus this year, up 10 percent from that in 2013, Xinhua quoted Russia's Federation Energy Ministry Press Secretary Olga Golant as saying, in a sign of thawing relations between the two countries.

Russia would deliver 21 million tonnes of oil (420,000 barrels per day) via pipelines and 2 million tonnes of oil by rail, the official added.

In 2013, Russia supplied 21 million tonnes of crude to Belarus and threatened to cut supplies after the two countries became embroiled in a dispute over potash.

--Indo-Asian news Service

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