"Russia participated in the OPEC conference as an observer, and there was no specific consultation between Iran and Russia about OPEC membership", Iranian Oil Ministry official said.
Last week OPEC held a meeting, to which Russia sent its most senior delegation in a decade.
Russian Vice Premier Igor Sechin proposed extensive cooperation between Russia and OPEC to meet global energy needs and said "a draft memorandum of understanding will be submitted" on the matter to OPEC's leaders.
This was followed by Iran's Moj News Agency report this Monday that said Iranian oil ministry officials had held talks with their Russian counterparts about Russian membership in OPEC, citing an Iranian official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
After that came the official comments deniyng the press report.
"There was no specific dialogue or negotiation," the oil ministry official said. "This is not a relation between Russia and a single member. Russia would like a memorandum of understanding with the organization of OPEC, not with a single member."
Author:
Ksenia Kochneva
