Iranian vice president announces Oil Ministry's priorities

Azerbaijan , Baku, June 6 /Trend/

Protecting oil and gas resources, controlling contracts, maintaining the regulations and revising energy policies are government's main policies for the Oil Ministry, IRNA reported quoting First Vice President Mohammadreza Rahimi as saying at a ceremony to introduce new caretaker of Iranian Oil Ministry Mohammad Aliabadi.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed Aliabadi the ex-head of Iran's Physical Education Organization, as caretaker of Iran's Ministry of Oil on Thursday evening.

"Remaining on the second place among OPEC's oil producing countries, becoming the world's second gas producer and surpassing joint fields are among priorities," he said.

According to Rahimi, discovering carbohydrate in joint fields, increasing oil and gas production capacity, exporting natural gas, replacing crude oil with oil products and supporting lower hand industries are on oil ministry agenda, Rahimi noted.

Iran exported $28.4 billion worth of non-oil products including gas condensates and petrochemicals together with technical and engineering services, as well as $66.21 billion worth of oil and gas products during the previous Iranian year (ended March 20, 2011).

Iran has OPEC's second-highest oil output, and ranks second in the world in terms of natural gas reserves after Russia.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Iran is the third largest country in the Middle East and Central Asia in terms of exports and imports.