Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 24 / Trend E.Ismayilov /
A protocol was signed following the fourth session of the Azerbaijan-Poland intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. The document was undersigned by Commission Co-chairs - Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev and Polish Vice-Premier, Minister of Economy Valdemar Pawlak.
The meeting discussed the progress of the project to build the Eurasian Oil Transport Corridor (EAOTC). Given the Polish company Orlen's interest in the supply of Azerbaijani light oil to a refinery in Plotsk, this project enables the Sate Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) to expand the geography of its oil supplies to the European market. As a result, the Azerbaijani oil could find a way to the markets of the North-Eastern and Central Europe.
The parties reaffirmed their readiness to take measures conducive to the creation of appropriate infrastructure and facilities for the organization of regular supplies of Caspian oil to Poland and other European markets under the EAOTC project.
In addition, the Azerbaijani and Polish sides exchanged views on the EAOTC project and the construction of the Trans-Caspian Oil Transportation System, noting the importance of their complementarity and synchronous implementation, and advising MTC Sarmatia continue to work with SOCAR and KMG. In particular, Sarmatia was recommended to analyze the possibility of concluding contracts ensuring the long-term loading of the Odesa-Brody-Plotsk pipeline.
The protocol notes that in 2009 the Lotos group and SOCAR signed a memorandum of cooperation and set up a joint group of experts for the construction of the Odesa-Brody-Plotsk pipeline. An expert group of SOCAR visited the refineries of companies Lotos and Orlen located in Gdansk and Plotsk.
The Azerbaijani side reported that under the agreement signed between the company Orlen and SOCAR Trading in 2008, a Polish company had received 255,800 tons of Azerbaijani oil, in 2009 - 220,600 and in January-October this year - 345,700 tons.