FNA - Iran and Oman embarked on a new round of talks on Monday discussing ways to increase cooperation in the energy sector.

The new round of talks started in Omani capital city of Muscat where the Head of North Drilling Company (NDC), a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, Hamidreza Golpayegani arrived on Monday.


The CEO of NDC held a bilateral meeting with Ali Abdullah Al-Riyami, the director general of Oil and Gas Marketing in the Omani Ministry of Oil and Gas. The two sides, in this meeting, discussed�enhancing cooperation in drilling-related operations and services.


They also attached great deal of importance to cooperation in technology transfer and exchanging the know-how in the field, as well as the possibility of investment by Omani companies in the Islamic Republic�s upstream oil and gas sector.


Golpayegani expressed NDC�s readiness for providing technical support and consultation, and sharing its offshore and onshore drilling experiences with international players active in the oil and gas sector.


NDC has taken effective steps to secure its footprints in the international markets. Ehsanollah Ghasemi, NDC�s director for international marketing and cooperation, was quoted as saying in June that the company can cooperate with the Caspian Sea littoral states, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, in drilling activities.


According to him, NDC possesses the technology to carry out drilling in deep waters and has registered a regional record for conducting drilling operations at a depth of more than 700 meters.


Iran and Oman have had good economic relations from old times and the ties have even expanded in recent years due to extended bank cooperation between the two countries.


In mid-April, Iran and its Southern neighboring country Oman agreed to finalize a cooperation pact on an offshore pipeline project.


Iran and Oman had for long been negotiating to produce LNG in its Qalhat liquefaction plant. The project involves piping gas from southern Iran to the Persian Gulf sultanate and liquefying it into LNG for shipments to international markets.


Back in early October 2017, Iranian and Omani officials in a meeting in Muscat underlined the need for the further expansion of mutual cooperation, especially in health areas.


During the meeting in the Omani capital, Head of Iran Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Mojtaba Khosrotaj and Advisor for Omani Health Minister Sultan Al Busaidi�explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating of bilateral ties, especially in health sector.