Russia Hopes to Become Major Oil Supplier

Russia is laying the infrastructure to become a major oil supplier to Asian countries, including an ambitious pipeline being built from Siberia to the Pacific coast, a Russian diplomat said Tuesday.

Russia is also considering discussions with Philippine energy officials about proposals to build an oil refinery and storage facilities in the Philippines that could serve Southeast Asia, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Vorobiev said.
Southeast Asian countries have expressed interest in Russia’s plans to become an important energy provider in the region and Moscow should carefully plan how it could assume that crucial role, Vorobiev told foreign correspondents.

“The countries of Southeast Asia … they’re waiting for further explanation of Russian intentions,” Vorobiev said. “There should be some kind of concept how to position Russia in this respect.

“We didn’t pay much attention to this area and we started to change our mind-set only in 1990s,” he said.

Houston Chronicle