30 March 2007
Belarus will extract oil in Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Sidorski says
Belarusian companies will extract oil in Azerbaijan, Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhey Sidorski told reporters in Baku before flying back to Minsk on March 29.
"We were provided with every opportunity to choose conditions for cooperation," he said when commenting on the results of his talks in Azerbaijan. "It is most likely that there will be separate ownership in oil production."
Mr. Sidorski said that Azerbaijani companies will be allowed to process their oil at Belarusian refineries and export the products. According to him, oil would be shipped in tank cars by rail.
In addition, he said, the Minsk Automobile Factory (MAZ) is expected to will start up a truck assembly plant in Azerbaijan. "We'll supply equipment and major units and components to Azerbaijan to assemble trucks," Mr. Sidorski noted. According to him, some 1000 trucks will be assembled annually, with Belarus creating nearly 3,000 new jobs in Azerbaijan.
Currently, there is a joint tractor assembly plant in Azerbaijan, which is expected to increase its output to 1000 tractors in 2008.
The sides also agreed on Belarusian sugar exports to Azerbaijan.
Apart from this, Belarus is to export meat, dry milk and other agricultural products to that country. Azerbaijan is reportedly interested in such products and satisfied with the prices and the offered amounts.
A Belarusian national exhibition would be held in Azerbaijan between May 2 and 5.
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