Sakova: Exemption from Sanctions on Russian Oil Should Also Apply to Slovnaft

Bratislava, 14 November (TASR) - The exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil imports via the Druzhba pipeline should also apply to the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava, Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) told a press conference on Friday, adding that the reason is that Slovnaft belongs to the Hungarian MOL Group. "All oil purchasing procedures take place under one roof, MOL's. This means that when Hungary received a one-year exemption from the US administration to purchase Russian oil, it will also apply to the purchase of Russian oil within Slovnaft, as it belongs to the MOL group," stated Sakova. Whether the exemption will be permanent or temporary is debatable. While the US administration is talking about one year, Hungarian officials claim that the agreement is open-ended. Slovnaft currently uses Russian oil for approximately two-thirds of its production. The remainder is imported from Croatia via the Adria pipeline. However, the refinery has criticised the high fees for oil transport and the signing of only short-term contracts with Croatian oil transporter Janaf. In recent weeks, Slovnaft has pointed out that Janaf has failed to meet contractual conditions and hasn't been able to deliver the latest shipment of 58,000 tonnes of Arab Light crude oil within the agreed deadline. Slovnaft needs alternative oil so that it can export gasoline and diesel to the Czech Republic and Austria, as the EU has banned the export of petroleum products made from Russian oil. am/df