ISLAMABAD, June 1. /TASS/. The government of Pakistan would consider buying cheap Russian oil if there was a relevant offer and if no sanctions were to be levied over such a deal, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.
Pakistan would "surely consider" buying Russian oil at cheaper rates if it was offered and if no threat of US sanctions emerged, the minister said. Yet Pakistani banks would hardly be able "to make arrangements to buy Russian oil," Ismail added, saying that Moscow had not yet offered any deals anyway.
Last Friday, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik said that the former government had not received a positive reply from Russia to a letter that Pakistan wanted to buy Russian energy, when commenting on a statement by members of the Movement for Justice opposition party who claimed that the previous government had reached an agreement on getting Russian oil and LNG at a 30%-discount.