June 22 (SeeNews) - Romania's energy minister Virgil Popescu said on Wednesday the country is interested in importing liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil and petroleum products from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
"At the same time, we invited the Emirati companies to come and invest in Romania, in the energy sector, including in renewable energy," Popescu said in a social media post.
Popescu said earlier this month that Romania is in talks with Azerbaijan for the diversification of oil and gas transport and supply routes.
In May, Popescu said he is encouraging the return of multinational oil and gas company Shell to the Romanian market, aiming to partner-up with it in LNG projects.
In April, the minister said that Romania could start importing LNG from Israel via Egypt in order to reduce its dependence on Russian gas. Also in April, Popescu said that Romania covers up to 28% of its natural gas needs with imports, most of them from Russia.