Kazakhstan brushed aside a warning by a senior oil official on Thursday of fresh delays at the troubled Kashagan field, where an international oil group led by Italy’s Eni has pledged to start production in 2013.

Sauat Mynbayev, Kazakhstan’s energy minister, said: “Everything is on schedule” for production to begin in 2013.” He told the Financial Times: “Nobody is interested in a delay at Kashagan, especially the Republic of Kazakhstan.”