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President Putin to ‘decide’ on Russian oil price discount for Pakistan

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  • Putin labels Pakistan ‘key partner’ in special message to Shehbaz.
  • Sources say there will be no decision on discount in crude price during ongoing talks.
  • Moscow will announce price of Russian crude once MoU is signed.

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan could secure crude oil deal with Russia on desired discount rate if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contacts Russian President Vladimir Putin, The News reported on Friday citing sources.

Pakistan is interested in buying around 100,000 barrels per day of Russian crude oil and if the country’s refineries get synchronised well with the blended Russian crude oil, then the quantity of crude from Russia would be increased accordingly.

Amid ongoing talks with the Russian Federation, the two sides are working to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or a protocol that may be signed today at the end of three-day talks.

However, Moscow clearly communicated to Islamabad that it would announce the price of Russian crude for Islamabad once an MoU or a protocol was signed for energy trade (crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied natural gas), which would show the seriousness of the Government of Pakistan towards the energy trade.

“The experts from Russia also asked Pakistan counterparts not to mention the price cap of $60 per barrel imposed on Russian oil by G7 countries while discussing the crude import,” the officials involved in the talks told The News.

However, sources told the publication that the issue of discount as desired by Pakistan on crude oil would be decided by Russian President Putin if the Pakistan government’s top man contacts him.

It should be noted that the Russian oil price in the international market currently hovers between $70-75 per barrel whereas Brent is priced at $81 per barrel. However, Pakistan hopes that it will get crude oil below $60 per barrel from Russia under the government-to-government mode.

As far as the $3 billion Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline (PSGP) is concerned, Pakistan is of the view that it will erect the pipeline but it is linked with the supply of more LNG and infrastructure at the port. Russia wanted to initiate the project and move forward in finalising the shareholding under the existing intergovernmental agreement. 

But now Pakistan wants it to execute the project on a BOOT (build, own, operate and transfer) basis.

Overall, the officials said that the talks under the inter-governmental commission level are moving forward on a positive trajectory, but after the signing of the MoU for energy trade, Russia will come up with the price for Pakistan. 

Officials said this means there will be no decision on the discount in crude price and life of the government-to-government agreement during the ongoing talks.

However, Pakistan State Oil (PSO) mandarins are engaged on behalf of Pakistan with Russian officials and experts on the issue of import of crude, finished products and LNG issues and officials of Oil and Gas Development Company and Mari Gas Company are in talks on the issue of building LNG storages.

“PARCO can process the Russian blended oil by up to 30%, Pakistan Refinery Limited 50% and the Cynergico Refinery can process the maximum. As for the LNG import, the private companies of Russia have told Pakistan that they can offer it after 2025-26 on a long-term basis,” the sources revealed.

Putin views Pakistan as ‘key partner’

In a separate development, a delegation led by Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov called on PM Shehbaz in Lahore and discussed cooperation in various fields to strengthen Pakistan-Russia relations.

Welcoming the delegation, the prime minister highlighted the importance Pakistan attached to its relations with the Russian Federation.

He recalled his meeting with President Putin in Samarkand in September 2022 and said that the meeting had reached important decisions to strengthen bilateral relations. He further noted with satisfaction the keen desire on both sides to upgrade the bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and economic matters.

The Russian minister reciprocated the PM’s sentiments and delivered a special message of President Putin to his host.

In his message, President Putin, referring to Pakistan as Russia’s important partner in South Asia and the Islamic world, reiterated his strong interest to deepen the bilateral relationship.

Both sides agreed on the importance of the energy sector for the development of bilateral economic and trade relations. In this regard, views were exchanged on supplying oil and gas from Russia to Pakistan on a long-term basis. Matters related to gas pipelines were also reviewed.

PM Shehbaz also provided guidance for the work of the eighth round of the Pakistan-Russia inter-governmental commission meeting, scheduled to be held in Islamabad on January 20.

Federal ministers Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for State for Petroleum Musadik Malik and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatimi were also present.

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Finance Minister Meets With World Leaders at World Economic Forum in Davos

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During his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has met with officials of organisations and leaders of many nations.
Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor, Muhammad Younas, met with Mohammad Aurangzeb.
On the fringes of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025 Opening Banquet, there was an informal meeting.
Additionally, the Finance Minister met with Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Both leaders discussed economic cooperation and bilateral ties.
Muhammad Aurangzeb also had a meeting with Dp World’s Rizwan Soomro and Yuvraj Narayan.
They talked about how to strengthen Pakistan’s logistics and infrastructure systems to support trade.
“The Pakistani government is committed to advancing joint projects and values partnerships in both business-to-business and business-to-government cooperation,” the finance minister added.

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China will establish a $250 million EV production facility in Pakistan.

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As Islamabad looks to Beijing to work with it to establish industrial zones for the production of electronic vehicles, the media said Wednesday that China’s ADM Group would invest $250 million to establish an electric vehicle manufacturing unit in Pakistan.

With an even more ambitious target of 90 percent by 2040, the Pakistani government established the National Electric Vehicles Policy (NEVP) in 2019 with the goal of having 30 percent of all passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks be electric by 2030.

By 2030, the policy aimed to achieve 50% of new sales for two- and three-wheelers and buses, and by 2040, 90%.

As part of the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s efforts to draw in foreign investment, Radio Pakistan reported that the Chinese company ADM Group had announced an investment of $250 million to establish an EV manufacturing plant in Pakistan.

“The switch to EVs is anticipated to save billions of dollars by reducing the cost of fuel imports.”

More than 3,000 electric vehicle charging stations will be installed throughout Pakistan, a South Asian nation, as part of ADM Group’s $350 million investment in the EV industry last year.

Pakistan announced earlier this month that, as part of its ongoing energy sector reform aimed at increasing demand, it would reduce the power rate for operators of electric vehicle charging stations by 45 percent.

Additionally, financial programs for e-bikes and the conversion of gasoline-powered two- and three-wheeled vehicles are planned by the government.

On January 15, the government approved a lower tariff of 39.70 rupees ($0.14) per unit, which will take effect in a month. The previous tariff was 71.10 rupees.

The government anticipates that investors in the industry will see an internal rate of return of over 20 percent.

There are currently over 30 million two- and three-wheeled cars in Pakistan, and they use more than $5 billion worth of petroleum each year, according to a report that Power Ministry adviser Ammar Habib Khan provided to the government and that was covered by Reuters.

The paper estimates that the ministry will save around $165 million in gasoline import expenses each year by converting 1 million two-wheelers to electric motorcycles in a first phase, at an estimated net cost of 40,000 rupees per bike.

In September, BYD Pakistan, a joint venture between China’s BYD and the Pakistani automaker Mega Motors, informed Reuters that, in accordance with international goals, up to 50% of all vehicles purchased in Pakistan by 2030 will be electrified in some way.

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The government has introduced a comprehensive strategy to enhance industrial investment.

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Authorities are poised to execute an ambitious investment promotion strategy through a collaborative initiative between the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) and the Pakistan Administrative Staff College, aiming for substantial enhancements in industrial investment and economic development.

The Special Investment Facilitation Center (SIFC) will be instrumental in this transformative drive by establishing “Business Facilitation Centers” aimed at optimizing investment processes and attracting both domestic and foreign capital.

Principal features of the comprehensive plan encompass:

  1. Forming collaborative working groups to augment domestic and international investment prospects
  2. Formulating a comprehensive strategy to eradicate obstacles to industrial development
  3. Formulating a novel model to tackle issues in the execution of industrial projects
  4. Striving to enhance Pakistan’s international business rating by 50 points
    Targeting $20 billion in foreign industrial investments within the next five years.

The approach prioritizes digital transformation to enhance the transparency and efficiency of the investment process. SIFC’s strategy emphasizes fostering a favorable atmosphere for investors by streamlining bureaucratic processes and offering strategic assistance.

National administration officers are conducting ongoing study to identify and mitigate potential investment barriers, while a specialized research group is formulating a comprehensive strategy to solve current hurdles in industrial growth.

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