Today at Gazprom headquarters Alexei Miller, Chairman of Gazprom's Management Committee, held a working meeting with Iftikhar Murshed, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Pakistan Islamic Republic in the Russian Federation.

The parties discussed a number of issues of cooperation development between Gazprom and the Ministry of Oil and Natural Resources of Pakistan, the country's oil and gas companies, in accordance with the Memorandum on mutual understanding between Gazprom and the Ministry of Oil and Natural Resources of Pakistan. The issues of perspective joint cooperation in exploration and development of oil and gas fields, Pakistan's natural gas infrastructure development, creation of a system of underground gas storage and project implementation of gas used as vehicle fuel were discussed.

Special emphasis was put on the project of Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline construction, and the possibilities of Gazprom's involvement in the project. Gazprom established a working group on cooperation with Pakistan in order to facilitate the parties' interaction.

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Pakistan's proved reserves of natural gas are 750 billion cubic meters - the sixth place in the Asia Pacific region (after Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, China and India).

Annual production is 21 billion cubic meters (as of 2003). All the gas produced is consumed domestically. In Pakistan's energy balance, natural gas accounts for 43%, oil accounts for 37%. According to estimates, annual domestic gas demand will increase to 30 billion cubic meters by 2006.

The Memorandum on mutual understanding between Gazprom and the Ministry of Oil and Natural Resources of Pakistan was signed in Islamabad on 11 November 2002.

DIVISION OF RELATIONS WITH MASS MEDIA