Santo Domingo.- Energy and Mines ministerAntonio Isa Conde confirmed Tuesday there’s been contact with Russiangovernment agencies for technical cooperation to analyze if there’s oil ornatural gas in the country.
The official said he recently held a workmeeting with Russian ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Vladimir Zaemsky.
"This rapprochement with a country thatmanages high technology could greatly help the Dominican Republic to developthis market properly. Above all, we believe it’s important that in this matterand at this stage relations are developed mainly from State to State, fromgovernment agencies to government agencies. That gives us much more securityand guarantee that the handling of the issue will be done in a much moreobjective and beneficial manner or the Dominican Republic," Isa said.
He said the Ministry’s efforts to create theNational Hydrocarbon Data Base (BNDH) and identify the blocs of greatestinterest have placed the Dominican Republic on the world’s hydrocarbons radar,both at the scientific and academic scales as well as for investors.
He said at the work meeting Zaemsky formally deliveredthe Ministry’s missives to the official contacts in Russia’s KarpinskyGeological Research Institute (IGCIRK), with which the Deputy Ministry for Hydrocarbonsis already in contact to exchange information and create the basis fortechnical cooperation.
In a meeting n Monday with Dominicancounterpart Miguel Vargas, Russian Foreign minister Serguei Lavrov offered thecountry a chance to search for potential oil and natural gas deposits throughthe use of satellites.