MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. South Africa is working on the issue of importing crude oil from Russia, South Africa’s ambassador to Russia Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka said in an interview with TASS.
"[South Africa is interested in oil supplies] from anybody in the world, including Russia. Of course," the ambassador said.
PetroSA, the largest state-owned oil and gas corporation in South Africa, is in touch with all Russian oil and gas majors, including Gazprom and Tatarstan-based Tatneft, Maqetuka noted. "We are in touch with Tafneft, for example," he noted. "The quality of oil that is being extracted in Tatarstan; it's very, very much ideal for South African refineries. And we have been in touch for almost a year now with Tatarstan. One, as a government, but also two, with Tafneft," the diplomat stressed, adding that no breakthrough was achieved in cooperation with this company.
The South African Embassy is communicating with about twenty Russian oil and gas companies, he added.