Russian Energy Minister-OPEC Secretary General talks to focus on measures preventing a fall in world oil prices

The negotiations between Russian Energy Minister Igor Yusufov and OPEC Secretary General Alvaro Silva Calderon will be devoted to measures for preventing a fall in the world oil prices.

As the Russian Energy Ministry reported, Igor Yusufov and Alvaro Silva Calderon will conduct negotiations on Tuesday, August 6th.

Before flying to Moscow on Monday, the Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries expressed the hope for the success of his negotiations with the Russian Energy Minister on whose invitation he will make his first trip to Moscow in the capacity of the head of OPEC.

In the opinion of the chief of the world oil cartel, the main item on the agenda of the negotiations at the Russian Energy Ministry will be measures to be taken to prevent a fall of the oil prices and also further cooperation between the OPEC and Russia, the biggest oil exporting country not within the OPEC framework.

The Secretary General has admitted that the OPEC and Russia have certain differences in their views concerning optimum prices of crude oil on the world markets and the quotas for the export of crude oil. The head of the OPEC will try, as he said, "to bring them to the minimum." The world oil cartel stands on the position that this price must be in the corridor between 22 and 28 dollars per barrel, though the desirable price would be 30 dollars per barrel. Russia, on the other hand, proceeding from real prerequisites and taking into consideration the opinion of the big oil consuming countries believes that the most optimum corridor would be 20-25 dollars per barrel.

As was pointed out by Alvaro Silva Calderon, during his negotiations with the Russian Energy Minister he will also touch upon "a number of other themes of mutual interest."