Russia, GCC countries approve oil & gas projects

MOSCOW — Russia and member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have approved projects in oil and gas, energy and high-tech spheres, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

Lavrov made the statement following a joint ministerial meeting for the strategic dialogue between the GCC and Russia held in Moscow.   

"Our meeting, which, together with outlining common approaches to international and regional problems, establishes directions of development of our trade and economic, investment, humanitarian ties and other ties between GCC countries," Lavrov said.

"We are talking about promoting concrete projects between Russia and our Arab friends in the oil and gas sphere, in the sphere of energy, including nuclear energy, in the sphere of informational and telecommunications technologies and peaceful exploration of space, medicine, transport infrastructure and other spheres," he added.

"We tasked our experts to prepare a plan of action for Russia and GCC in the aforementioned spheres so that we, ministers, can consider it and approve [it] sometime in September when we plan to hold another meeting, on the sidelines of [the] UN General Assembly," Lavrov said.

"I consider the meeting in the framework of our strategic dialogue as very useful," he noted, according to the Russian news agency.

 "I am confident that further cooperation between Russia and GCC will be even more effective, taking into account the results achieved today," he concluded.

Established in 1981, the GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The joint ministerial meeting for the strategic dialogue between the GCC and Russia is the fourth, but was hosted for the first time in the Russian capital.

The talks came ahead of an OPEC meeting, scheduled for June 2.