Russia plans to increase supplies of oil and petroleum products to Uzbekistan, TASS reported with reference to the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.

According to him, the parties have formed recommended lists of equipment needed for modernization and retrofitting of testing laboratories in Uzbekistan. This will allow us to assess the compliance of products with the requirements of 15 technical regulations of the EAEU.

“We attach great importance to cooperation in the energy sector. We are exploring the possibility of increasing supplies of oil and petroleum products to Uzbekistan,” Manturov shared.

The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade noted that Russia supports the republic’s desire to develop its own mineral resource base and expresses its readiness to continue cooperation in geology and subsoil use.

The minister also emphasized that the parties have successful projects to conduct geological exploration for oil and gas in the Aral Sea.

“For the first time in post-Soviet history, seismic exploration work for hydrocarbon raw materials was carried out on the territory of Uzbekistan. Their results make it possible to predict the discovery of large, predominantly gas fields in the region,” Manturov said.

Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov previously noted the republic’s readiness to expand import supplies of oil and petroleum products from Russia.

In early November, Uzbekistan concluded a trilateral agreement with Russia and Kazakhstan to increase oil supplies. The agreement provides for the supply of 1 million tons of Russian oil in transit through Kazakhstan in 2024.