Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 15
By Aygun Badalova - Trend:
Kazakhstan is not negotiating with Iran to resume oil swap operations, the ministry of energy of Kazakhstan told Trend Sept.15.
"Currently, the Kazakh side doesn't negotiate with Iran to resume oil swap operations," the ministry said.
Earlier, the head of the Department of International Affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company Mohsen Ghamsari said that after the lifting of sanctions, Iran is ready to resume oil swap operations with neighboring countries given the availability of appropriate infrastructure.
In July 2015, KazTAG Kazakh telegraph agency with reference to the press service of the akimat (governor) of the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan reported that Iran plans to restore swap oil supplies to Kazakhstan in the amount of 5 million tons per year.
Iran prior to the introduction of sanctions was an active participant of swap operations, which began in 1997 on the basis of the contracts signed.
The total income received by Iran from these swap transactions from 1997 to 2009 amounted to about $880 million.
Kazakhstan began oil swaps with Iran in 2005 in the amount of 27,000 barrels per day. In 2006, this amount was increased to 82,000 barrels per day.
Receiving the Central Asian oil in the port of Neka in the Caspian Sea, Iranian oil terminal company was transferring it to refineries in Tehran and Tabriz, sending the same amount of oil from Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.
In 2010, Iran stopped oil swaps with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
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