ISLAMABAD- 

Pakistan said on Monday (December 5) that Russia has decided to export crude oil, gasoline and diesel to the South Asian country at discounted prices.

The details were shared at a news conference in Islamabad by Pakistan's deputy oil minister, Musadik Malik, who visited Moscow last week and met with his Russian counterpart.

"A cross-government delegation headed by the Russian Energy Minister will visit Pakistan next month and we will try to flesh out all the details that I have shared with you so that we can sign agreements to buy crude oil, gasoline and diesel at discounted prices," Malik said. deal."

He gave no specifics, such as how much discount Moscow was offering or when Islamabad would be able to import Russian oil products soonest.

"The discounted price will be the same as offered to the rest of the world," Malik claimed. The

official said his talks "turned out to be more productive than expected" and that they were driven by Pakistan's "national interest" , requiring the government to use all possible sources to address domestic energy shortages.

Pakistan also wants to buy liquefied natural gas, Malik said, but Russian state-run companies are currently in tight supply of the product.

"Russia is installing new production units and has invited Pakistan to initiate talks on a long-term contract to buy LNG," he said. Russian officials also arranged for his delegation to discuss LNG imports with Russian private companies, he added. conduct talks.

Moscow has yet to comment on the energy deal with Pakistan.

Pakistan has been struggling to meet its own demand for LNG, with its natural gas reserves dwindling by as much as 10% a year. Pakistan's dwindling foreign exchange reserves also limit its ability to buy fossil fuels from abroad.

Meanwhile, Malik said neighboring Iran had decided to donate nearly one million kilograms of liquefied petroleum gas as "humanitarian aid" to Pakistan this winter. "The batch of liquefied petroleum gas will arrive in the country within the next ten days," he said.