MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Moscow will seek new partners incountries that have not imposed sanctions on it if Western oiland gas companies pull out of projects with Russia, RIA newsagency quoted Energy Minister Alexander Novak as saying onSaturday.
The sanctions over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis havetargeted the delivery of oil technology, goods and services,aiming to make it harder for Moscow to access new oil sources.
"If (Western) companies decide for themselves not to takepart in organising investment projects in the long term, we willinvite investors from countries which have not imposed sanctionsagainst us and our oil and gas companies," Novak was quoted assaying in response to a question at a meeting with students.
Russia, the world's biggest energy exporter, relies on oiland gas exports for about half its federal budget. The sanctionsaffect its offshore exploration in the Arctic and development ofthe hard-to-recover oil deposits.
U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil has had to suspend workon offshore exploration in the Arctic with Russian oil producerRosneft and Royal Dutch Shell has suspendeddevelopment of hard-to-recover oil in Russia's Bazhenovformation with Gazprom Neft.
Rosneft has agreed to deepen cooperation with China NationalPetroleum Corporation, including in liquefied natural gas (LNG)projects and possibly LNG supplies to China. (Reporting by Polina Devitt; editing by Susan Thomas)
