Tehran and Minsk Discuss Collaboration in Oil and Petrochemical Industries

Opportunities for collaboration between Iran and Belarus were explored in the third session of their oil industry working group, which took place virtually.

The meeting aimed to follow up on and implement the bilateral oil memorandum of understanding signed between Iran’s Oil Ministry and Belarus' Belneftekhim, an association of petrochemical companies under the Council of Ministers, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranian media.

Referring to the recent meeting between Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and Belarusian Industry Minister Andrei Kuznetsov on the sidelines of the18th meeting of the two countries’ Joint Economic Committee (on December 9) and the emphasis of both sides on expanding cooperation, especially in the energy sector, the session explored opportunities and capacities for cooperation between the two countries.

Areas of cooperation in the trade of petrochemical and oil products, the export of catalysts to Belarus, cooperation in technical and engineering services, and the supply of oil industry equipment were the main topics of discussion in this session.

Both sides emphasized the high level of political relations between Iran and Belarus and stressed the need to expand cooperation, particularly with the participation of private companies-a move that could lead to an increase in the volume of trade exchanges between the two countries.

Representatives from the National Petrochemical Company, the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, Persian Gulf Holding, Ghadir Investment Holding, Sanat Trade Company, the Commodity Management Department of the National Iranian Oil Company, Tabriz, Karun, and Takht-e Jamshid Petrochemical Companies, as well as the Iranian Association of Oil Industry Equipment Manufacturers, along with representatives from relevant Belarusian sectors and Alireza Sanei, Ambassador of Iran in Minsk, attended the session and exchanged views.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Mostafa Barzegar, Director General of Europe, America, and Commonwealth of Independent States at the International Affairs and Commerce Deputy of the Oil Ministry, while the Belarusian delegation was headed by Igor Fomin, Head of the Foreign Trade Department of Belneftekhim.