ROME (Dow Jones)--Eni SpA (E) said Chief Executive Paolo Scaroni met Wednesday with his counterpart at OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) to discuss their partnership, as part of a deal to strengthen ties between the Italian oil and natural gas company and the Russian energy giant.
Scaroni met Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller in Moscow, the Rome-based company said in a statement.
The two talked about the "implementation of the strategic partnership agreement" of 2006 and, in particular, "the realization of upstream joint projects in third countries."
In November 2006, Eni and Gazprom signed an accord cementing their ties. As part of the deal, Eni was allowed to enter Russia's hydrocarbon market, while Gazprom was free to sell gas directly in Italy. The companies also agreed to swap some of their assets.
The deal signaled Western oil majors' desire to secure closer ties with the state-run energy companies of hydrocarbon-rich countries on the back of galloping crude prices. Gazprom's aim is to directly reach higher-paying end users of its gas and gain upstream expertise.