President Rodrigo Duterte greets Rosneft Oil Co. CEO Igor Sechin at the Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow, Russia on Oct. 2, 2019. JOEY DALUMPINES/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte has invited the top executive of Russia’s biggest oil and gas firm to invest in the Philippines.
Igor Sechin, chief executive officer of Rosneft Oil Co., paid a courtesy call on Duterte in Moscow’s Four Seasons Hotel Wednesday night, Malacañang said in a statement.
“The President invited Rosneft, the leader in the Russian oil sector, to invest in the Philippines, particularly with regard to oil and gas development, and assured its officials … that he would not tolerate corruption in the bureaucracy,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
Duterte also met with Zeljko Runje, vice president for offshore projects of Rosneft; Didier Casimiro, vice president for refining, retrochemical, commerce and logistics; and Boris Kovalchuk, chief executive officer of Inter RAO.
Joining the president were Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, and Philippine Ambassador to the Russian Federation Carlos Sorreta.
“We wish to add that the Chief Executive underscored that any agreement that will be executed or performed for such purpose shall undergo the proper domestic processes and comply with applicable laws and pertinent rules and regulations so as not to leave any room for corruption or irregularity,” Panelo said.
Rosneft, according to its website, is the leader in the Russian oil sector and the largest global public oil and gas corporation. The company is engaged on exploration and appraisal of hydrocarbon fields, production of oil, gas and gas condensate, and offshore field development projects, among others. (PressONE.ph)