The Russian authorities are mulling to supply up to one and half million tons of fuel to Afghanistan annually in a bid to help the country with its fuel consumption demand. Russia’s Deputy Minister of Energy Yury Sentyurin has said Russia could easily supply 1 to 1.5 million tons of oil products to the Afghanistan on annual basis. According to the Russian officials, the contribution by Russia will help Afghanistan with its demand of 6 million tons of oil on annual basis. Sentyurin said Afghanistan consumes more than 3 million tons of petroleum products for its own personal needs and uses another 3 million for the coalition forces, according to the local media reports. Insisting that Russia does not intend to supply Afghanistan with all of the 6 million tons of oil products, Sentyurin said “I do not think that we need to monopolize the market. We have proposed a strategic idea to our Afghan partners to form a strategic national reserve.” Russia has also offered to carry out further exploration work in northern Afghanistan, according to a report by the state-run news agency Sputnik. The report further added that this feat could be undertaken by the company, ‘Zarubezhgeologiya’. The proposal was made in the framework of the Russian-Afghan intergovernmental commission. Russia has stepped up efforts to expand trade, economic and social relations with Afghanistan and recently agreed to turn a long-standing debt payable by Afghanistan into a non-refundable aid. Meanwhile, the Afghan officials are keen on resumption of activities by Russian companies in the country, mainly the housing industry, considering the expertise of the Russian companies that could play a vital role in improving the economy of the country.
Supply 1.5 million tons of oil to Afghanistan annually
