Russian State Duma approves protocol on duty-free supply of bitumen to Armenia

The Russian State Duma Committee on Energy approved the ratification of the protocol to the intergovernmental agreement, which ensures duty-free supplies of oil bitumen from Russia to Armenia instead of tar, RIA Novosti reported.

The agreement on cooperation between Russia and Armenia in the supply of natural gas, petroleum products, and raw diamonds was signed on December 2, 2013. It contains the list of petroleum products that are exported to Armenia with an indicative balance for domestic consumption and without levying export customs duty.

The protocol signed on June 1, 2023, replaces bitumen with tar on this list, which, accordingly, will allow its supply without paying the export tax.

“At the request of the Armenian side, the previously specified tar is replaced with petroleum bitumen. It is also related to the expansion of road construction in Armenia,” Russian Deputy Minister of Energy Anastasia Bondarenko said at the meeting of the committee.

At the same time, bitumen supplies are expected to be in the same amount as in the case of tar.

“The tar was 30,000 tons, and bitumen is also expected to be in the same amount,” Bondarenko said.