The announcement was made by Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko, who also said the current agreement between the two nations on oil transit called for the transportation of 2.7 million tonnes of oil.

According to Khristenko, “The adoption of this agreement is a sensible move if it runs for at least fifteen years. [Furthermore], the interests of both sides [have] to be taken into account and [this] should be reflected in legal documents at the level of the two states’ [respective] governments.”

Khristenko also dismissed any idea of using the US-sanctioned Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline to send Russian oil along the Baku-Novorossiysk route.

According to the minister, “Russia’s strategic plans [involve] transporting oil along three routes: Through the Baltic, from the Pacific coast and through the Kola Peninsula on the Barents Sea.”