TEHRAN- Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said his country welcomes the Russian companies’ investment making in its oil sector, Shana reported.

The minister made the remarks after his meeting with the Russia Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov in Moscow at Monday night.

Saying that the expansion of bilateral relations has been one of the major subject discussed during his meeting with the Russian side, the minister reiterated, “We have a good cooperation with the Russian companies, and this cooperation is going to be increased in the fields of oil and gas and related equipment.”

"We recognize Russia as a strategic partner, and this partnership is not something that can be changed in a warm or cold atmosphere in the international arena," Zanganeh said, adding, “If the Russian companies want to work in Iran, they must become partner with Iranian companies and make the most use of Iranian capacities through negotiation with their Iranian counterparts to achieve the desired results.”

The Iranian oil minister continued: "Iran's ambassador to Russia and his colleagues at the embassy were supposed to follow the agreements. If it were not for the coronavirus pandemic, they could have done it very simply, but in the current situation, we can establish communication by observing the health protocols."

“We welcome investment making in the required sections”, he mentioned.

MA/MA