RE: And now, an offer of oil from Puntland New Delhi, May 16 (PTI) Somalia''s Puntland state today invited Indian oil companies to invest in projects there and sought the help in capacity-building and development of human resources in the civil-war torn country as it underlined its efforts to fight piracy.
Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud Farole, who is on an official visit, today held talks with
Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R P N Singh.
During his meeting, President Farole apprised Singh on the hydrocarbon resources in Puntland and the recent find of oil in large quantities, official sources here said.
He invited Indian companies to participate in the exploration and sought India''s cooperation for further charting out exploration blocks and training of Somalis in the petroleum sector, officials said.
In his meeting with Ahamed, Farole discussed the whole gamut of issues with a focus on seeking India''s cooperation in capacity building and development of human resources, particularly in fisheries sector, education, training, small and medium scale enterprises. Issues related to piracy were also discussed.
The Puntland region seeks unity of the Somali people and adheres to a federal system of government. ''
Unlike the secessionist region of Somaliland to its west, Puntland is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation.
Yesterday, Farole gave an address at the Indian Council of World Affairs on the subject entitled ''Current situation in Somalia: opportunities, challenges and issues related to piracy''. (more) PTI SAP