Yemen's minister of oil and minerals Amir Salim al-Aidrous has called on the US to commit to further upstream operations in the Middle Eastern country.

In a statement delivered to national media yesterday (January 8th), the minister insisted that the country still has large oil, gas and mineral reserves to be explored.

He described the oil and gas industry as one of the country's most promising sectors, with only 20 per cent of total reserves exploited to date.

His comments came as he met with US ambassador Stephen Seche yesterday.

Discussions extended to the development of opportunities for foreign companies working in the oil and gas industry to commence operations in Yemen.

So too, the pair discussed how best to train domestic workers to serve the needs of the upstream energy sector as foreign capital flows into the country.

The US Energy Information Administration identifies Yemen as a key arbiter of stability in the regional oil and gas industry as it guards the entrance to the Bab el Mandab strait, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.

5th Global Education and Training event for Oil and Gas: Exploration and Production