In a meeting in Tehran on Monday, Shmatko said, “Iran and Russia have close relations in the energy sector and the ground is prepared to enhance cooperation in this field.”
An Iran-Russia working group on energy will hold a meeting in Tehran in the near future, he stated, adding that the two countries are interested in carrying out joint projects in other countries.
He went on to say that the current situation of the oil market does not serve the interests of oil-producing countries, so OPEC members should devise solutions to stabilize the market.
The Russian official proposed that Iranian begin selling its crude oil on Saint Petersburg’s stock market as a step toward finding alternative markets for oil products.
Nozari said that the two countries have holding negotiations on proposals for natural gas swaps, construction of a refinery in the Caspian Sea region and the Neka-Jask pipeline, as well as exploration and development of oilfields.
MG/MRK
END
MNA