CAIRO, June 12, 2018 (MENA) - Petroleum Minister Tareq el Mulla had talks with Australian Ambassador Neil Hawkins on means of promoting cooperation in the fields of petroleum and natural gas. The talks tackled ways of encouraging Australian companies to invest in Egypt in excavation and extraction of minerals, Mulla said in a statement on Tuesday. He said the ministry seeks to encourage investments in projects for manufacturing mineral wealth and transforming it into useful products. He voiced hope that Australian companies would boost their investments in Egypt in the minerals domain. Hawkins said his country is aware of the tangible steps which Egypt has taken to implement economic reform and improve the investment climate. He underlined that Australian mining companies are interested in investing in Egypt.