据印度报业托拉斯(PTI)7月22日新德里报道,伊朗政府周三提议,为从印度取回65亿美元石油进口应付款,并使之不至于太过“紧急”,部分款项可被用于印度当地的项目投资,以此平息即时付款或将冲击印度外汇储备所引发的担忧。
为在清账支付方式上达成共识,伊朗还提议开展使团级访问并就此问题的解决进行讨论。
伊朗大使吴拉姆-礼萨·安萨里假定印度国内存在需要在西方国家对伊朗解除制裁后立即支付应付款清账的担忧,从而对印度作出保证。多笔款项至今仍未支付的原因在于存在针对伊朗银行与支付渠道的限制。
评估显示,过去2年内,原油账款中的一半以上均未结讫,总量已增至65亿美元。
安萨里在一次访谈中对PTI表示:“我们现在并未面临紧急情况。此事取决于双边谈判的进展。我们两国间应该互派使团,商讨解决问题的安排。”
他说:“不过,伊朗与印度解决账款问题需要较长时间,因为我们有良好的伙伴关系,部分款项可能被用于不同的项目与目的。”
但是,身为全权公使,安萨里没有透露印度需要支付款项的确切数字,只表示数额“巨大”。
安萨里还说:“未来……我们将会有关于款项的结算方案……我们会找到一个结算机制。无论我们将如何使用这笔款项,不管是出售或者转移,双方都能进行探讨。”他指出,伊朗有很多投资机会,部分账款可被投用于此。
尽管存在制裁,印度仍与伊朗保持着贸易关系,尤其是在原油进口领域。
业内评估,印度是伊朗的第二大石油消费国,仅次于中国。
詹乐乾 摘译自PTI,2015-7-24
原文如下:
Iran rules out any ‘emergency’ in getting oil dues worth $6.5 billion from India
NEW DELHI: Ruling out any 'emergency or urgency' in getting back $6.5 billion oil import dues from India, Iran on Wednesday proposed that a part of this corpus can be invested in Indian projects there - assuaging concerns that an immediate payment outgo might hit India's forex reserves.
Hopeful that a "settlement" can be reached on how to clear these dues, Iran has also proposed delegation-level visits and discussions to iron out the issues in this regard.
The assurance by Iranian ambassador to India, Gholamreza Ansari, assumes significance as there were concerns that India might have to make immediate payments to clear these dues after lifting of the western sanctions on Iran. The dues have been pending largely because of curbs on the banking and payment channels connecting Iran.
As per the estimates, more than half of the crude oil bill has remained uncleared in the past two years and has grown to more than $6.5 billion.
"We are neither in emergency or urgent situation. It depends on discussions between the two sides. We should exchange delegations between the two countries and discuss arrangements which they want to do business with each other," Ansari told PTI in an interview here.
"Anyway, it will take a long time between Iran and India (to settle the dues) because we are good partners and may be part of this money can go to different projects, different purposes," he said.
However, the envoy did not give the exact figure of the payments to be made by India and only said it was a "substantial" amount.
"In future ... we will have some sort of settlement on what we want to do with the dues ... We should find mechanism to settle it. How we want to use it, sell it or transfer it. It can be discussed between the two sides," the envoy further said, indicating that there were many investment opportunities in Iran and part of the dues could be used there.
India has maintained a trade relation with Iran despite the sanctions, especially in terms of crude oil imports.
As per the industry estimates, India has been Iran's second biggest oil customer after China.