Russia agrees to increase oil exports to Belarus in 2014

Russia has agreed to increase oil flows to Belarus in 2014, Belarus news agency Belta said on Friday, citing Russia's Federation Energy Ministry Press Secretary Olga Golant. Russia will ship 23 million tonnes of crude oil to Belarus this year, up 10 percent from that in 2013, the spokeswoman said, in a sign of thawing relations between the two countries. Russia would deliver 21 million tonnes of oil (420,000 barrels per day) via pipelines and 2 million tonnes of oil by rail, the official said. In 2013, Russia supplied 21 million tonnes of crude to Belarus and threatened to cut supplies after the two countries became embroiled in a dispute over potash.