The Local Norway: Top Putin aide was in Oslo for oil talks: Statoil
Igor Sechin, one of the most powerful figures in Vladimir Putin's Russia, was in Oslo this month to hold talks with Statoil over its international projects. This came despite the country's increasingly aggressive moves on Ukraine, and Norway's support for EU sanctions which have already forced Russian television host Dmitry Kiselyov to cancel a planned summer holiday in Norway.
Lars Christian Bacher, head of international development and production at the company, told Reuters in an interview that the Ukraine crisis has not yet affected Statoil's relations with Rosneft, the Russian state oil giant which Sechin heads.
"Our relationships with Rosneft have been good from day one. They are still good. It has been a very professional, business-like relationship. The activities we have on the plate are continuing as before," Bacher told Reuters