BERLIN, Jan 8 (Xinhua) -- Germany expressed its concern on Monday over the closure of the Druzhba Pipeline earlier in the day, hoping supplies through the pipeline will resume as soon as possible.

    "I view the closure of the important Druzhba Pipeline with concern. I expect supplies through the pipeline to be fully resumed as quickly as possible," German Economics Minister Michael Glos said in a statement.

    A spokesman for Belarus' pipeline operator Belneftekhim said earlier in the day that the Druzhba pipeline "is not pumping oil in the direction of Poland, Germany and Ukraine under orders from Belneftekhim."

    Belarus and Russia have been at loggerheads over oil transit since the two countries resolved a trade dispute over natural gas.

    The impact caused by the closure of the pipeline on Germany is "not dramatic," Glos said. "The refineries have sufficient stocks of crude oil, so that our supply is safeguarded even if there are lengthy delivery shortfalls."

    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.

    Glos, whose country is holding the presidency of the European Union, added that Germany will work "vigorously to ensure that the restriction on the oil deliveries does not cause bottlenecks in the supply of European companies and consumers.

    He urged the Russian and Belarusian agencies to fulfill their delivery and transit commitments.

    "The incident shows once again that a balanced energy portfolio is vital for a high level of energy security, and that there must be no one-sided dependencies," he added.

    New EU energy policies will be on the top agenda of the summit of the EU in Spring, the minister said.