SAEDNEWS: Iran Advances Energy Diplomacy Despite Adversaries’ Hostile Actions, Acting Oil Minister Says
According to Saednews, Bovard, who traveled to Moscow to accompany President Masoud Pezeshkian at the 8th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit and attend its 28th Ministerial Meeting, made the remarks in an interview with IRNA on Wednesday.
He highlighted the outcomes of bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral consultations held by the Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the Moscow meetings, pointing to the potential for attracting new Russian investment.
Referring to Pezeshkian's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, as well as his own bilateral talks with Russia's energy minister, Bovard described the exchanges between the two sides as positive and constructive.
He expressed hope that Russian investment in Iran, particularly in the development of the oil and gas industries, would increase following the negotiations and agreements reached in Moscow. He added that the two sides had also agreed to resolve outstanding issues affecting bilateral projects.
Asked about the understanding reached on the transit of Russian gas to Iran, the acting oil minister said a trilateral meeting with Russian and Azerbaijani ministers had produced positive results, with all sides pledging cooperation.
He noted that technical assessments were underway to determine whether the initial phase of Russian gas transit to Iran could be implemented using existing pipelines across the three countries.
Regarding meetings held on the sidelines of the GECF Summit in Moscow, Bovard cited discussions with Qatar's energy minister and Libya's minister of petroleum and gas, a bilateral meeting with Senegal's minister of petroleum and energy, consultations with Venezuela's minister of petroleum, and a meeting with the chief executive of Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
The 8th GECF Summit was held in Moscow on Tuesday, bringing together heads of state and senior representatives from member countries. President Pezeshkian addressed the summit, stressing that member states must strengthen cooperation in energy governance and strategic management.
A day earlier, Bovard addressed the GECF's 28th Ministerial Meeting, presenting Iran's proposals and holding numerous consultations on the sidelines of the event.
The Gas Exporting Countries Forum comprises 12 full member states: Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Peru, and Senegal participate as observer states.
