The Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and the State-run energy company Argentina ENARSA have agreed to boost cooperation regarding inshore and offshore oil and gas exploration, oil refinery operations and personnel training.

To this effect, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between PetroVietnam CEO Dinh La Thang and his ENARSA counterpart Exequiel Espinoza during Thang’s three-day visit to Argentina , which concluded on March 28.

The MoU stipulated that both sides will establish a joint coordinating committee and research team to define specific areas of cooperation and provide technical and financial assessments for potential joint projects.

While working with Argentinean State Secretary in charge of Energy under the Ministry of Planning, Investment and Services Daniel Cameron, the PetroVietnam leader expressed his wish that the Argentinean government will support this cooperation, and that the two countries’ ministries in charge of oil and gas will soon sign cooperative agreements.

For his part, Cameron affirmed that his ministry is prepared to facilitate PetroVietnam becoming active in exploring for and exploiting oil and gas in Argentinean waters.

He emphasised the need to accelerate the signing of government-level cooperative agreements during the upcoming session of the Vietnam-Argentina Joint Committee in order to facilitate business cooperation.

Argentina was the final leg of the PetroVietnam delegation during its working visit to Latin American countries. Earlier, in Nicaragua , the delegation met with President Daniel Ortega and signed an all-encompassing oil and gas cooperation agreement and a joint research agreement with the country’s state-run oil and gas corporation Petronic.

In Bolivia , the delegation was received by Energy Minister Oscar Coca and Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca and inked an MoU on cooperation with Bolivia ’s national oil and gas group YPFB.