TEHRAN, March 07 (Shana) -- Iran will see good days and months ahead of its oil industry especially in the first 3 or 4 months of the next calendar year, a deputy petroleum minister said.

Amir Hossein Zamaninia, deputy petroleum minister in international affairs and trading, said the large number of incoming foreign delegations to Iran puts Tehran in a position to be able to choose from them for cooperation, adding, "Good days and months are awaiting Iran's oil industry in the first quarter of the next (Iranian calendar) year."

"Iran is now in a position that can choose [who to work with], and can select its foreign partners based on its designated interests," the official said.

Following a meeting between Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh and visiting Ukrainian vice Prime Minister Genadi Zobkov here on Monday, Zamaninia told reporters that talks with foreign companies have gone on pretty well and "they are very much keen on joining Iran's petroleum industry".
He said Iran is currently studying bids tabled by European, Russian, and Chinese companies during the past 7 months and will ink cooperation deals with them on prioritized projects.

He said the meeting was held on the sidelines of the 5th Joint Economic Commission of Iran and Romania which was presided over by Iranian Minister of Agricultural Jihad Mahmoud Hojjati.

A cooperation document was signed during the meeting and the two sides agreed to cooperate on oil and gas as well as construction of industrial compressors and equipment agreed.

By SHANA