ASTRAKHAN, July 23. /TASS/. Lukoil is ready to consider a proposal on refining crude oil with high content of organic chlorides at its refineries, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian oil producer Vagit Alekperov told reporters on Tuesday.

"If there is such an offer [to refine off-spec oil in Russian refineries — TASS], we are ready to consider it. Our Nizhny Novgorod [refinery] is designed to refine sour oil," the top manager explained.

No final decision on contaminated oil volumes has been taken, the Russian Energy Ministry said earlier. Different options were considered, including refining in Russian plants.

In April, exports of the Russian oil to Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia were suspended due to its contamination with organic chlorides in the Druzhba pipeline that provides oil supplies to Belarus and its transit to Europe. Belarusian refineries were forced to reduce utilization rates due to the lack of clean oil. Supplies of on-spec oil to Belarus resumed in early May.