Ahmad Asadzadeh said the Russian side is developing a comprehensive development plan for 6 oil fields and 2 gas fields in Iran and contracts for these fields are planned to be signed by the end of the current calendar year, which began on March 21.

Referring to the visit of Iranian Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji and his accompanying delegation to Moscow to participate in the Caspian Economic Conference, Asadzadeh said: “In this trip, the Petroleum Minister met Alexander Novak, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and the head of the Russian side of the Joint Economic Commission and consulted on holding a joint commission in Russia from October 30 to November 1 and it was decided that the two sides should finalize and prepare the road map for cooperation as soon as possible.”

He added: “Another issue that was pursued in this conference concerns accelerating the implementation of the comprehensive memorandum with Gazprom. The Russian side is preparing a comprehensive development plan for 6 oil fields and two large gas fields in Iran, and we hope to see the signing of contracts for these oil and gas fields by the end of the year.”

The official went on to add that on the sidelines of the Caspian Economic Conference, useful meetings were also held with Gazpromneft and Zarubzhneft companies, and the two sides exchanged views on the axes of cooperation.

 He stated: “Following the emphasis of the Supreme Leader on the development of knowledge-based industries, a visit was made to two Moscow technology parks named "Technopolis" and "Skolkova" and it was decided that a draft memorandum of cooperation with the "Technopolis" park should be prepared and signed and exchanged between the two parties during the meeting of the joint commission.”

Asadzadeh continued: “These technology parks consist of knowledge-based companies with advanced technology in the field of Russian oil and gas industries. During this visit, a part of the capabilities of these companies was observed. The issue of technology is one of the axes that, if seriously addressed, will deepen the strategic relations of the two countries.”

He clarified: “In the round table of the energy projects of the Caspian countries, which was held on the sidelines of the Caspian Economic Conference, we proposed on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran that two categories of infrastructural and case issues should be included in the agenda of this meeting and should be continuously followed up. The attendees welcomed the proposal. The development of the oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea, the establishment of transportation corridors and energy connections between the countries bordering the Caspian Sea, and the formation of the Caspian Joint Investment Fund in order to develop energy projects were among the proposals that were presented in this meeting.”

Referring to the meeting of the Minister of Petroleum in the presence of the First Vice President with the Prime Ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan on the sidelines of the Caspian Economic Conference, the Deputy Minister of Petroleum for International Affairs and Trade said: “Useful meetings were held in the presence of Russian governors and major Russian companies and the axes and opportunities of economic cooperation among other things, were investigated in the oil and gas sector. The statements of the managers of the Russian companies indicated the very high cooperation capacities of the two countries in various fields of the oil industry, and the exploitation of these opportunities requires seriousness and follow-up from both sides.”

Asadzadeh stated: “We are planning to hold a conference of petroleum industrialists and private companies of Iran and Russia in the oil industry in the near future.”