Germany renewed its call on Wednesday for Russia and Belarus to settle their dispute rapidly, stressing that the supply of Russian oil to Europe must resume.

German Federal Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier released a short statement after a telephone conversation with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday.

In a short statement, Steinmeier said: "I call on Russia and Belarus to settle their dispute rapidly. The supply of Russian oil to Europe must be reinstated."

Russia suspended its oil deliveries to Europe through Belarus after the two countries failed to resolve their dispute. Several countries, including Germany and Poland, were affected. A spokesman for Belarus' pipeline operator Belneftekhim said on Monday that the Druzhba pipeline "is not pumping oil in the direction of Poland, Germany and Ukraine under orders from Belneftekhim."

Steimeier urged both sides to meet existing supply obligations. "The oil dispute between Russia and Belarus must not be conducted at the expense of third parties. We need a quick solution," he said.

Steinmeier said it is "vital" that energy relations between Russia and Europe as a whole are "stable and dependable." "This is also in Russia's interest," he declared.

Germany will use its EU presidency to work on a stronger dialogue on energy between Europe and Russia, said the German official.

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that "it is unacceptable" that Russia suspended the deliveries without any consultations. "This destroys trust again and again," she said.

Russia is a major supplier of oil and gas for Europe. Germany, the largest economy in Europe, imports around 100 million tons of crude oil a year and about 20 million tons are supplied via the Druzhba pipeline.

About 30 percent of Germany's natural gas is also provided by Russia.

Source: Xinhua