Addressing at the seventh training session of energy reporters, Housain Noghrekar Shairazi, deputy petroleum minister for international affairs and trade said defining energy diplomacy by the petroleum ministry is a valuable measure that takes place for the first time in the country.
Referring that many oil and gas producing countries are subject to a kind of energy diplomany, Noghrekar Shirazi said: Islamic Republic of Iran as an independent country sitting atop the second biggest oil and gas reserves, plans to behave based on its own energy diplomacy.
He said the current situation is a very hard time for enemies due to their failure to materialize their purposes and added: the Islamic Republic of Iran enemies have failed to stop oil industry as the driving force of the country.
Referring imports and exports before the revolution, Noghrekar Shairazi pointed out that in the final year before the victory of the Islamic revolution, 1356 (1978), Iran's non oil exports stood at 640 million dollars while its imports (excluding military equipments) reached 14/5 billion dollars.
Emphasizing on determining role of Iran and neighboring countries, Noghrekar Shirazi said Iran has the second biggest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and is second biggest holder of natural gas reserves after Russia.
He went on to say that while Iraq and UAE on the on hand and Qatar and Turkmenistan on the other, holding the biggest oil and gas reserves after Iran, so Iran and the surrounding countries hold 68 percent of world's oil and gas reserves in their hands.