Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on ExxonMobil Corp. to accelerate its natural gas exploration and development activities in the country, as Cairo pushes to strengthen energy security and consolidate its position as a regional gas hub. Sisi met on Sunday with John Ardill, Vice President of Global Exploration at ExxonMobil, alongside Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, Petroleum Minister Karim Badawy, and Amr Abou Eita, chairman of ExxonMobil Egypt, the presidency said in a statement. The talks reviewed progress in the company's Mediterranean offshore concessions, particularly in the Masry and Cairo blocks, located in the outer Nile Delta, where ExxonMobil has been using advanced seismic and drilling technologies to identify new discoveries, the statement said. Sisi praised the US oil major as a strategic partner in Egypt's energy sector, commending its continued participation in national initiatives to develop the oil and gas industry. He also stressed the government's commitment to removing barriers and expediting procedures to attract further investment into exploration projects. Badawy said Egypt offers growing opportunities in exploration and production, citing ExxonMobil's technical expertise and long-term presence as key to advancing cooperation in the sector. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
