DAMASCUS, Sept 13 (KUNA) -- The publishing of adverts in newspapers announcing the state's floating of tenders for crude is "a routine procedure", said an Oil Ministry official on Monday.

The Oil ministry will continue to import and export crude oil and products as usual, the official told media. The only thing that is new is that the EU is no longer bidding for the latest tenders, he added.

Reports yesterday noted that the Syrian state oil marketer has floated a tender to sell two shipments of crude oil, to ship mid-October . An official tender called for bids on a shipment of light crude oil and another of As Suwayda', each shipment weighing 80,000 tonnes.