20-09-04
As part of the largest ever oil diplomacy mission to secure oil and gas fields for Indian firms, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar met his counterparts from 13 major oil producing nations on the sidelines of OPEC ministerial conference in Vienna.
Aiyar, who discussed an oil field-for-LNG deal with Iranian Oil Minister Bijan
Zanganeh, secured an assurance from his Sudanese counterpart that investments by
Indian firms in the troubled African nation were secure.
The Minister, the only one from Asian countries to have been invited to attend the OPEC conference, discussed stake in oil fields, refinery revamp business and other areas of mutual cooperation with Angola, Norway, Indonesia, Venezuela, Nigeria, Austria, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Qatar and Syria.
"I discussed with Zanganeh a package of cooperation that included India's
participation in three Iranian oil fields and joint exploration of gas fields,
long term purchase of LNG, revamping of Tehran and Tabriz refineries, joint
ventures in petrochemicals and Iranian investment in Indian petrochemical
sector," he said.
While Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al Naimi hosted a dinner for the Indian delegation, Sudanese Oil Minister Awad Ahmed Al-Jaz said "by and large our investment will be secure (in the immediate fallout of US pressuring for sanctions on Sudan)."
"We are keeping a close watch on political situation in Sudan so that our
companies are not exposed to risk," he said. ONGC Videsh has stakes in a
producing oil field and two oil exploration blocks in Sudan. Besides, Indian
firms are also laying pipelines and revamping refineries in the African nation.
Source: Asia Pulse