Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 9 / Trend E. Ismayilov /
The purpose of SOCAR's purchase several filling stations (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) in Ukraine is joining the Ukrainian market, SOCAR's senior official said today.
"The goal is to join the Ukrainian market, as any commercial market, attractive to oil companie," SOCAR representative said.
A source on the oil and gas market said the market of Ukraine itself is attractive. But it is also quite capacious. In this case, an access via this country to liquid markets of Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries is of great importance.
According to SOCAR's representative, a source of products, to be sold on the Ukrainian filling stations, can be any Ukrainian oil refinery, delivering oil products of higher quality and at lower prices.
SOCAR head Rovnag Abdullayev said that the company completes the process of buying about 30 filling stations in Ukraine within a pilot project aimed at studying the market of Ukraine. This project is only a part of a larger program of the company's activity in Ukraine, in particular, on large-scale retail sale of oil products on the market of this country.
"There will be several filling stations at the first stage. Then we will consider the cost-effectiveness, efficiency and commercial attractiveness," SOCAR senior representative said commenting on future plans for filling stations in Ukraine.
As to SOCAR's purchase of an oil refinery in Ukraine, a source said that all the variants proposed by the Ukrainian side are interesting for the company. But a decision is made depending on the ratio of visual attractiveness and internal commercial value," he said.