Equatorial Guinea wants to see Russian companies as project partners, not service contractors

ST. PETERSBURG. July 28 (Interfax) - Equatorial Guinea would like to see Russian companies as full-fledged partners, and not service contractors for projects in the areas of oil and gas and in mining, Antonio Oburu Ondo, Equatorial Guinea's Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, said during the session "Exploration and Mining: Russian Technologies in Africa" at the Russia-Africa forum.

"We are interested in a commercial framework, in which the Russian side would not be a service company, but, rather, a partner. If a Russian company really invests in a project, and the results are shared, this would give a considerably larger number of countries the opportunity to use the technology," Ondo said.

Ondo stressed that Equatorial Guinea is very interested in expanding cooperation with Russia and Russian companies in the mining and oil and gas industries, as well as in mapping and exploration.

"I would like to sit down at a round table with you and other representatives of mining companies, and not only talk about the extraction of mineral resources, but also about the extraction of oil and gas," the Ondo said.