A high-level Russian delegation will visit Iran in May to discuss cooperation in the banking, transit, oil, gas and petrochemical sectors, according to Iran's deputy oil minister for international affairs and trade, as quoted by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) on Tuesday.
Ahmad Asadzadeh confirmed the parties will convene on the sidelines of business-to-business (B2B) meetings to be held at the 27th Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical 2023 Exhibition, the opening ceremony of which the Russian delegation will attend.
Relations and cooperation between Iran and Russia, the two largest holders of the world's oil and gas reserves, have taken a new turn under the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi, prompting the two nations to attempt to expand their connections in a variety of areas, including in the energy and economic sectors.
The confirmation of the meeting by Asadzadeh came after Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held phone talks earlier on Tuesday, the NIOC reported.
The two sides' delegations will exchange views on strengthening bilateral trade ties in four working groups, according to the Secretariat of the Iran-Russia Joint Economic Commission: oil trade, gas and petrochemical products; investments and export of technical and engineering services; manufacturing, supply, and repair of oil equipment; and technological and knowledge-based cooperation.
The Iran Oil Show 2023, which will be held at Tehran International Permanent Fairground from May 17 to 20, is to host more than 1,500 Iranian and foreign oil, gas and petrochemical companies, knowledge-based firms, start-ups and universities.
By Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr