TEHRAN – Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Tehran on Monday, during which the two sides stressed the expansion of energy ties, especially in the oil industry, Shana reported.

In this meeting, Oji and Maduro discussed and decided on issues such as fuel supply to Venezuela and also the exports of petroleum products, petrochemical products, and petrochemical catalysts to the south American country.

Other topics discussed at the meeting included decisions on the export of technical and engineering services to Venezuela by Iran with the aim of the reconstruction and modernization of the country’s refineries and the development of its oil and gas fields.

Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation Maduro arrived in Tehran on Friday, June 10 for an official visit.

The presidents of Iran and Venezuela, as holders of more than 460 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, formally held talks in Tehran on Saturday and signed a 20-year cooperation document.

The strategic document includes cooperation in the fields of politics, culture, economy, oil, petrochemicals, and tourism.

The document was signed in the presence of President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro.

A 20-year roadmap that outlines Tehran-Caracas relations was also signed by the two presidents.

After the signing of the strategic cooperation document, the two presidents held a joint press conference.

Raisi said Iran's foreign policy has always been focused on building relationships with independent countries.

“Venezuela has shown exemplary resistance to enemy threats,” Raisi said.

The cooperation between Iran and Venezuela, which had already begun with the exports of Iranian gasoline to this country in 2020, has now entered a new phase and expanded to other sectors following the signing of this document.

Back in May, Oji headed a delegation to Latin American countries including Venezuela to pursue expansion of ties.

Earlier on January, the two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of the 6th Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Doha, Qatar, to cooperate in a variety of areas including technical services, technology transfer, training services, manpower training and cooperation in the refining sector.

The document was signed by Oji and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia Gonzalez.

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Photo: Oil Minister Javad Oji (L) and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met in Tehran on Monday