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Operation of Druzhba pipeline will be fully restored in 2 weeks, says Russian Deputy PM

Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia suspended imports of Russian oil because of its quality

MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. The operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline will be fully restored in two weeks, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told reporters on Friday.

"The negotiations of representatives of Russia, Belarus, Poland and Ukraine produced well considered decisions on taking special technological measures to eliminate the consequences of the incident. This will make it possible, as it was planned, to deliver good quality oil to the border with Belarus before April 29, and to fully restore the stable operation of the pipeline in two weeks," he said.

Earlier, Polish company PERN reported that at a meeting in Minsk on April 26, representatives of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland found the solution to resolve the technical issue that occurred on the Druzhba pipeline.

On Friday, April 19, Belarus announced a sharp deterioration in the quality of oil coming from Russia through the trunk oil pipeline Druzhba. The company informed operators of the Druzhba pipeline from other countries about the issue. The source of pollution was found on the Samara-Unecha section of Druzhba.

Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia suspended imports of Russian oil because of its quality.

The Russian authorities admitted the fact that the oil supplied via the pipeline is of poor quality but the problem is technical and will be resolved soon.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak promised that high-quality oil from Russia will be on the border with Belarus on April 29.

On Friday, Russia oil pipeline operator Transneft said that the oil in the Druzhba pipeline was deliberately contaminated through the private Samaratransneft-terminal, which receives oil from several small producers.