BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 3. The Republic of Congo is looking to establish a strong partnership with Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, according to Jean-Claude Gakosso, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Congo, in an exclusive interview with Trend during his visit to Baku.
“Congo is among Africa’s longstanding oil producers, although not a major one. Major companies such as TotalEnegies, Eni, Chevron, and Halliburton operate in our offshore oil fields. We are keen on boosting trade between SOCAR and the National Petroleum Company of Congo (Société Nationale des Pétroles de Congo – SNPC), recognizing the potential for mutual growth in our partnership. It is still early to evaluate our cooperation with Azerbaijan as we are in the initial stages of building it,” he stated.
The minister emphasized that Congo aims to kickstart this collaboration through a strong partnership between the national oil entities, SNPC and SOCAR.
“In a fruitful meeting with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, we had a friendly exchange of views. We, as politicians, agreed that such initiatives should be supported by a solid diplomatic relationship,” Gakosso added.
Prior to this, SOCAR president Rovshan Najaf and Presidential Adviser for International Strategy of the Republic of Congo, Francoise Joly, explored potential partnerships in oil and petroleum trading.
During their meeting in Baku on March 5, discussions revolved around Azerbaijan’s global energy projects, SOCAR’s diverse operations in various countries, and collaborative efforts with other industry players.
The focus of the dialogue was on identifying opportunities for cooperation in the oil and gas sector, including the trading of oil and petroleum products. Both parties also exchanged ideas on enhancing human capital and other areas of mutual interest.
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