A Russian official revealed Pakistan’s diplomatic blunder in reaching an agreement with Moscow for purchasing Russian crude oil at a reduced rate. But the Russian energy minister made it clear that no deals had been struck.
A Russian official has revealed Pakistan’s diplomatic blunder and showed how the country willfully fibbed in reaching an agreement with Moscow for purchasing Russian crude oil at a reduced rate. The largest untruth was exposed by Nikolai Shulginov, the minister of energy for Russia, who said the pricing for Pakistan had not been lowered. A cargo of 45,000 tons of Russian crude oil landed in Pakistan just over two days prior to this. The minister himself tweeted false information regarding the crude oil while praising the shipment as “the biggest promise” of the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
On January 11, the Pakistani PM tweeted, “I have kept another of my national commitments. Pleased to announce that the first discounted cargo of Russian crude oil has reached Pakistan and will begin discharging oil tomorrow.. Today is a day of transformation. We are progressing steadily in the direction of wealth, economic growth, and energy affordability and security.”
The Pakistani PM applauded his team for brokering an agreement that had never happened, proclaiming the commencement of a new Pakistan-Russian partnership. Pakistan-Russia collaboration begins with the first Russian crude oil supply.
The Pakistani PM wrote on Twitter, “I applaud everyone who stuck with this national endeavor and helped make the promise of importing Russian crude oil a reality.”
The Russian energy minister, however, made it clear that none of Sharif’s statements were true and that no deals had been struck as stated by Islamabad.
A Russian state media said on the sidelines of an international economic conference in St. Petersburg: “Oil shipments to Pakistan have started. There is no particular discount; for Pakistan, it is the same as for other purchasers.”
He agreed, nevertheless, that Chinese currency was used to pay for the Russian crude oil. The Russian minister claimed that although the barter system was discussed, no decisions had yet been taken. We agreed that the money would be transferred in the currencies of friendly nations, according to Shulginov.
Remember that Pakistan has been claiming to have struck a major agreement with Russia in order to buy at least 1 lakh tonnes of Russian crude oil. In actuality, utilizing its diplomatic lobby, Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutoo asserted that the deal had been reached. But, the Russian energy minister’s words debunked all claims.
Shulginov said liquefied natural gas rates for Pakistan were still being negotiated between the two countries. He concluded, “Long-term contracts are being discussed, but for now, we are talking about spot supply, and spot gas prices are high.”
