Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Eng. Karim Badawi, met Wednesday with new Iraqi Ambassador to Cairo Dr. Qahtan Taha Khalaf, where both discussed ways of enhancing joint cooperation in the fields of oil and gas. 

The meeting, which was held in the New Alamein City, also discussed increasing the role and contribution of Egyptian petroleum companies in implementing projects inside Iraq.

Eng. Karim Badawi stressed at the beginning of the meeting his welcome to the existing cooperation between the two brotherly countries in the fields of oil and gas, stressing the importance of launching Egyptian-Iraqi cooperation in the field of oil and gas for broader horizons to benefit from the opportunities available in the two countries and support the exchange of expertise.

The Minister added that the distinguished capabilities and potential of the Egyptian petroleum sector companies, in the field of implementing projects locally and regionally, supports opportunities to increase their activities in Iraq, as many companies continue their efforts to expand abroad as an extension of their successful work record, such as: Petrojet, Enppi, San Misr and Egyptian Drilling, noting that the past years have witnessed successful cooperation and partnership between the petroleum sector and Iraqi oil institutions, which can be built upon to increase cooperation.

For his part, the Iraqi Ambassador to Cairo, Dr. Qahtaan Taha Khalaf congratulated Eng. Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, on assuming his duties, and stressed that he is proud to be in Egypt, his second country.

The ambassador explained that the current time is the most appropriate to increase the role of Egyptian petroleum companies with their expertise in the project implementation market in Iraq, which is witnessing a wide urban movement, noting that the successful business models provided by Egyptian petroleum companies in Iraq encourage the development of cooperation and increasing their role in implementing projects.

The ambassador pointed to the opportunities available to develop cooperation and open up areas for Egyptian companies in light of Iraq’s expansion in projects to exploit associated gas in light of an ambitious strategy and exploit Iraqi natural gas resources.

The ambassador also touched on the importance of the Egyptian-Iraqi memorandum of understanding in the field of oil and gas, which was renewed last year and through which opportunities for cooperation between Egyptian and Iraqi companies can be maximized.

Egypt Today