"We have a joint project to pursue now with the Russian Federation. The leadership of the Russian Federation is key in this regard," Barkindo said. "We agreed with Alexander Novak to maintain very close contact and cooperation with him and his team. And this we are doing, I can assure you that."
Barkindo said that with respect to Russia, "we have been in continued discussions and consultations regularly. I’ve been in regular contact with Minister Alexander Novak and his team almost daily, in regular contact with them."
Earlier in December, Russian oil companies confirmed their readiness to participate in an OPEC agreement on cuts in oil production.
On Saturday, OPEC finished a two-day meeting with non-OPEC countries in Vienna, Austria. The non-OPEC countries decided to cut oil output by 612,000 barrels per day, with Russia cutting output by 300,000 barrels per day.
In November, OPEC agreed to cut oil production by 1.2 million barrels per day across the cartel.
