Iran's acting oil minister says energy diplomacy is being pursued dynamically

Iran's Acting Oil Minister Bovard said the country is pursuing energy diplomacy dynamically, speaking in an interview with IRNA on Wednesday during a visit to Moscow. He traveled to the Russian capital to accompany President Masoud Pezeshkian at the 8th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and to attend the forum's 28th Ministerial Meeting.

Bovard highlighted the outcomes of bilateral, trilateral and multilateral consultations held by the Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the Moscow summits, noting the prospect of attracting new Russian investment. Referring to Pezeshkian's meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at the Kremlin, as well as his own bilateral discussions with the Russian energy minister, Bovard described the interactions 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, will increase based on the negotiations and agreements reached in Moscow, adding that the two sides also agreed to resolve issues affecting bilateral projects.

Responding to a question about the understanding on the transit of Russian gas to Iran, the acting oil minister said there were positive outcomes from a trilateral meeting with Russian and Azerbaijani ministers, and that the sides promised cooperation. He noted that technical assessments are currently underway to determine whether the initial phase of Russian gas transit to Iran would be possible using existing pipelines across the three countries.

On the meetings held on the sidelines of the GECF in Moscow, Bovard pointed to talks with the energy minister of Qatar and the minister of petroleum and gas of Libya, a bilateral meeting with the minister of petroleum and energy of Senegal, consultations with the Venezuelan minister of petroleum, and a meeting with the CEO of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom.

The 8th GECF Summit was held in Moscow on Tuesday, attended by heads of state and high-level representatives from member countries. President Pezeshkian addressed the summit, emphasizing that member states must expand their cooperation in the areas of energy governance and strategic management. A day earlier, Bovard addressed the 28th Ministerial Meeting of the GECF, where he presented the country's proposals and engaged in numerous consultations on the sidelines of the summit.

The Gas Exporting Countries Forum consists of 12 main 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 serve as observer states. According to Mehr News, the minister's remarks followed the conclusion of the Moscow meetings.