Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) are to work together in oil and gas training, it has emerged.

During the sixth meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) between the two companies, agreements were signed on interaction in staff training, as well as qualification upgrading.

On top of oil and gas training, the two bodies looked into the Agreement on Strategic Partnership, which was signed on October 14th 2004 in Beijing by Gazprom and the CNPC.

Both parties agreed that the initiation of the Eastern Program by Gazprom "was creating favourable conditions for arranging promising projects on gas supply".

Alexander Ananenkov, who led the Russian delegation at the meeting held in Kazan, said: "The parties may set to executing such projects upon completion of commercial talks."

The seventh JCC meeting will be held in China next year.

Later this month, Gazprom will hold a meeting of directors in order to discuss the development of the Russian gas industry.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development