Putin calls Deora a 'real genius' negotiator

In a rare compliment, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has described Petroleum Minister Murli Deora as a “real genius” negotiator after he convinced the Kremlin strongman for sending a senior minister to India for energy talks.

On a mission to get oil assets for the energy-hungry nation, Deora met Putin on the afternoon of November 5 in Moscow and flagged a set of oil properties which were of interest to New Delhi.

According to Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey, Deora wanted Putin to send Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko for further talks on the specifics of Indian participation in oil and gas fields in East Siberia and North Russia but the Premier instantly made no commitments. But as Putin read out his nation's outstanding issues, particularly in power and steel sectors, Deora stated that since the issues did not concern his ministry he could facilitate meetings with people concerned when Shmatko visited New Delhi to attend the conference of energy ministers from India and CIS countries on November 25-26.

For once, the iron-willed Russian leader was “speechless” and ended up agreeing to Shmatko's visit. But in the process he complimented Deora, saying: “You are a real genius in negotiation,” Pandey said quoting Putin.

Pandey said Deora made a case for ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, getting a stake in the oilfields of Sakhalin-3, Vankor oilfield in East Siberia and Trebs and Titov fields in Timan Pechora region of north Russia.

Putin, according to Pandey, said the fields were available but Indian companies had to go through the process of bidding and stressed on company-to-company contacts.