"I am absolutely certain that the PSA will be signed before the end of this year," Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov said at a press conference in Astana on Monday.
At the same time, Akhmetov acknowledged, "there are parameters protecting our national interests, and this is where negotiations are conducted." However, "we have no contradictions and conflict situations, we are conducting efficient work to protect the country's interests," he noted.
According to the Kazakh prime minister, under discussion is an increase of Kazakhstan's share in product sharing. Akhmetov believes that Kazakhstan's share in net profits should account for at least 60%. "Before, the state share in net profits of oil companies was 25% - the lowest in the world," he recalled.
Rosneft holds 50% in the $10-billion project to develop the Kurmangazy deposit on the Caspian shelf, but the sides still have not co-ordinated terms of the PSA.
Kazakhstan has declared its intention of transferring 25% in the project - half of its share - to the French-based Total company. Kurmangazy reserves on the Caspian shelf are estimated at 0.7-1.0 billion tons.
