Tehran, Iran, May 20
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran's Petropars Company may continue its oil activities in Venezuela.
The managing director of the company, Mohammad Javad Shams, said that Petropars has not closed its office in the South American country yet, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on May 20.
It was announced on May 7 that Petropars Company had closed its office in Venezuela.
"If the necessary requirements are provided, we will continue our job in Venezuela," Shams explained.
"The U.S. is the main buyer of Venezuela's oil, so the country is worried about Washington's pressure," he explained.
Petropars was supposed to carry out offshore projects at Venezuela's Dobokubi field.
Shams said on May 7 that Petropars Company had officially canceled its oil agreement with Venezuela's PDVSA Company, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported.
"Petropars wanted to start its activities there, but the Venezuelan company asked for several new conditions," the company's managing director explained.
"Finally we decided to close our office in Venezuela," he said.
"From now on Petropars Company will put it focus on developments of Phases 12 and 19 of South Pars gas field," Shams added.
National Iranian Oil Company had previously closed its office in another South American country.
Mehr News Agency reported on April 7 that National Iranian Oil Company officially closed its office in Bolivia.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh issued the order.
NIOC had opened the office in Santa Cruz four years ago to boost Iran's technical and engineering services' exports to South American countries.
The managing director of NOIC, Roknoddin Javadi, said that the company will gradually close its offices across Latin America as well in the near future.
He went on to note that keeping open the offices are not economically justified, adding that the offices only served political purposes.
"NIOC should only follow economic approaches, and not political ones, "he noted.
NIOC has signed several oil contracts and agreements with the South and Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
Edited by C.N.