Gazprom offers to develop Sri Lanka's offshore fields

Russian natural gas giant Gazprom plans to take part in exploration at the offshore hydrocarbon fields in Sri Lanka, the Itar-Tass news agency reported on Monday.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller discussed the issue with visiting Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa in Moscow.

"The parties discussed prospects for Russian-Sri Lankan cooperation in the oil and gas sector," the gas giant's information department said.

"In particular, they focused on Gazprom's possible participation in the development of offshore hydrocarbon deposits in Sri Lanka," the news agency reported.

After the end of the war with the Tamil Tiger separatists, Sri Lanka had in October last year invited Russia to explore oil off its north-western coast.

According to the Sri Lankan government, the republic has eight oil and gas blocs in the northwestern Mannar basin, two of which have been granted to China and India.