Vietnam, Kuwait step up oil and gas co-operation

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement during a meeting with visiting Kuwaiti Oil Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali in Hanoi on October 22.

He applauded the minister's visit, during which he will attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the Nghi Son refinery and petrochemical complex in the central province of Thanh Hoa, scheduled for October 23.

The PM thanked the Kuwaiti State for its support for flood victims in Vietnam's central region, as well as its assistance in obtaining loans for rural infrastructure projects through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.

The leader expressed his hope that Kuwait will be able to help Vietnam in personnel training for the oil and gas sector and consider bringing in Vietnamese workers.

He spoke highly of the Kuwaiti Government's role in the implementation of the Nghi Son refinery and petrochemical project, emphasising the country's commitment to providing a steady supply of crude oil to the complex.

PM Dung suggested that the Kuwaiti Government continue to instruct and assist the Kuwait Limited Liability Company, one of the refinery's investors, to ensure the progress of the project and contribute to the development of both countries and the friendship between them.

Mustafa Al-Shamali said Vietnam and Kuwait possess great potential for co-operation, voicing his hope for further links in energy, industry and oil and gas.

The minister pledged to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to invest in Kuwait and affirmed his readiness to back Vietnam in human resources development in the oil and gas sector.

The Kuwaiti State has decided to send US$3 million in aid for victims of tropical storm Nari in the central region of Vietnam, he said.

(Source: Nhandannewspaperonline)