State representatives of Kuwait and Vietnam have set out plans to increase cooperation in the oil and gas sector with the issuance of a new exploration contract.

At a meeting in Hanoi yesterday (September 21st), the Vietnamese president Nguyen Minh Triet told Kuwaiti oil minister Ahmad Al-Abdulla Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah that the south-east Asian country places great importance on cooperation with Kuwait in fields such as oil and gas, science, technology and training and development.

Earlier in the day, Vietnam's trade and industry minister Vu Huy Hoang had said that oil and gas training should be a particularly strong focal point for cooperation between the two countries.

He touted the Kuwait Investment Fund as a launchpad for increased funding for scholarship programmes for Vietnamese workers.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported this morning that PetroVietnam is set to offer an exploration licence for the offshore block 51 to Kuwait Petroleum Co under a production sharing agreement.

Getenergy event for GCC countries November 2009