US Consul and Murmansk Governor discuss oil supplies

The US is interested in expanding its energy dialogue with Russia and increasing the export potential of Russian oil suppliers. US Consul General in St. Petersburg Morris Hughes made this announcement today during a meeting with Murmansk Regional Governor Yuri Yevdokimov. According to Nikolai Sigin, the governor's press secretary, Yevdokimov told Hughes about plans to pipe oil through the Murmansk Region. Hughes said that increasing sources of oil and diversifying supplies was a positive move for the US economy.

The governor told the consul he was concerned by the fact that the US has still not signed a protocol to the agreement on a multilateral nuclear and environmental programme that was recently reached by Russia and the EU in Stockholm. The protocol includes a list of concrete projects in the region on radiation safety and sets out the level of financing for them.

In his capacity as a member of the Russian State Council's presidium, Yevdokimov intends to take part in coordinating the activities of organisations and ministries responsible for international cooperation on radiation and the environment. The two sides agreed to remain in contact and try to resolve all their disagreements over how to improve the environment in the Russian North-West.