Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab received Saturday Chief Executive Officer of the Italian Eni Claudio Descalzi and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting was also attended by Egyptian Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Sherif Ismail.

According to Cabinet Spokesman Hosam Al Qaweesh, Descalzi reviewed the history of his company and cooperation with the Egyptian Petroleum Ministry with regard to oil and gas exploration in Egypt and a recently-signed memorandum of understanding in this regard.

The Italian CEO also reviewed the work progress with regard to a number of projects in the Mediterranean Sea and Nile Delta regions with the aim of increasing the volume of production, the spokesman said.

For his part, the Egyptian petroleum minister said cooperation and coordination are maintained with Eni to meet the growing need of oil products, whether with regard to the sector of electricity or that of industry, or any other related field.

At the end of the meeting, the Egyptian prime minister highlighted the necessity of fully supporting exploration activities and putting an end to any obstacles in this field with the aim of providing more petroleum materials and new job opportunities, according to the Cabinet spokesman.

Mahlab also discussed with Eni delegation the possibility of training members of a technical school in the field of petroleum in order to be ready for future challenges, the spokesman added.

Eni engages in oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production, as well as in the supply, trading and shipping of natural gas, electricity, fuels and chemical products.

Through refineries and chemical plants, Eni processes crude oil and other oil-based feedstock to produce fuels, lubricants and chemical products that are supplied to wholesalers or through retail networks or distributors.

Furthermore, Eni operates in engineering, oilfield services and construction, both off-shore and on-shore, focusing on the execution of technologically-advanced mega-projects mainly located in frontier areas.