The CEO of Kazakhstan’s state-owned oil and gas company KazMunayGas announced that the company is considering a trial shipment of oil to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline in January next year.

“According to the instruction of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, KazMunayGas is considering the option of a trial shipment of a batch of oil to Germany in January 2023,” KazMunayGas CEO Magzum Mirzagaliev said on Tuesday at a virtual meeting with German Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Michael Kellner, according to a press release by the company.

The meeting was also attended by German lawmaker Christian Gorke who was present in the Kazakhstan capital Astana.

According to the press release, both sides discussed the export of Kazakh oil to the Schwedt refinery in northeastern Germany, which Gorke referred to as the “heart of the economy” in the state of Brandenburg in eastern Germany.

It said that Kellner expressed interest in stable supplies of oil from Kazakhstan via the Druzhba oil pipeline.

“The head of KMG (KazMunayGas) confirmed the possibility of exporting Kazakh oil to Germany via this pipeline, but noted the need to resolve contractual and technical issues,” the press release said, adding that the parties expressed hope for further joint mutually beneficial cooperation following the talks.

The PCK Schwedt refinery, located in the Brandenburg region of Germany, has an annual capacity of 11.6 million tons, AA reports.