Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) receives Sergey Ivanovich Kudryashov, General Director of Russia’s Zarubezhneft JSC (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on April 8 for Sergey Ivanovich Kudryashov, General Director of Russia’s Zarubezhneft JSC, who is on a working visit to Vietnam to seek cooperation opportunities in oil and gas and energy.

Kudryashov told the host that the over-40-year cooperation between Zarubezhneft and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) through the Vietsovpetro and Rusvietpetro joint ventures has achieved successes in geological exploration, and oil and gas exploitation, thus creating jobs and contributing to each country's budget.

He asked the Vietnamese Government leader direct the settlement of difficulties and obstacles in collaboration projects.

The Russian side wants to continue promoting cooperation with Vietnam in all fields, especially economics, trade, and investment, including oil and gas, he stated, adding that Zarubezhneft hopes to expand collaboration with Vietnam to other fields, including offshore wind power development in the Southeast Asian nation.

Expressing his support for speeding up the settlement of difficulties and problems in cooperation projects, Chinh said that Vietnam always backs and creates conditions to promote oil and gas collaboration between the two countries, based on the principle of "harmonious benefits, shared risks".

He requested ministries and sectors to review the implementation of cooperation agreements signed by the two countries’ senior leaders, including in the oil and gas sector, and include it in the agenda of the upcoming Vietnam-Russia Intergovernmental Committee meeting.

The leader showed his hope that the Russian side will handle existing problems in oil and gas cooperation, and create conditions for Pertrovietnam to expand its investment in Russia. He requested Zarubezhneft and Petrovietnam to establish a working group to speed up the settlement of problems, and research and propose appropriate collaboration contents.