Preliminary agreements have been reached on the return of the French Institute of Petroleum, also known as IFP, to Iran in the post-sanctions period.
Expressing the institute's readiness to come back to Iran once the sanctions are lifted, Jean-Luc Karnik, CEO of IFP's training branch, said, "IFP intends to have an effective presence in Iran's oil and gas industry to educate skilled workforce," Shana quoted him as saying.
"Iran is one of the most important oil and gas hubs in the world," he added.
IFP is a graduate engineering school located in Rueil-Malmaison, France. Founded in 1954, IFP is part of the IFP Energies Nouvelles, a French public-sector research and training center.
It graduates approximately 600 students per year in 20 graduate programs, employing 40 regular professors and 350 instructors from industry.
Invited by the Institute for International Energy Studies, affiliated to the Iranian Oil Ministry, senior officials of IFP Training visited the capital last week.
Amid sessions and negotiations held between IFP officials and top Iranian managers of oil and gas industry, the two sides agreed on the main grounds of cooperation and the terms under which the educational institute will operate in the Persian Gulf country.
Referring to close bilateral cooperation between IFP and Iran ahead of the imposition of the US-engineered sanctions against Iran's financial and trade sectors, the French official said, "With an 80-year experience in oil and gas industry, presence in more than 80 countries and cooperation with 1,200 oil and gas companies, IFP is one of most reputable educational institutes across the world."
Karnik expressed his satisfaction over the possibility of returning to Iran, saying they would welcome making a comeback to the oil-rich country in the near future.
The international nuclear sanctions on Iran are expected to be removed as early as Q1 2016.
