Oil diplomacy peaks

India public sector (ONGC, IOC, OIL, GAIL) hydrocarbon presence has increased to 47 countries worldwide, petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has informed external affairs minister Natwar Singh in a recent letter.

India is currently examining specific expressions of interest from Ecuador, Columbia, Trinidad and Tobago and Surinam in South America, Chad, Niger, Sao Tome-Principie, Gabon, Congo-Kinshasa and Tanzania in Africa, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Kazakhstan in Asia. Attempts are also being made to add Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.