On 29th November Rosneft and BP signed a bilateral Letter of Intent (LoI), to carry out joint studies in the basins of the Arctic region of the Russian Federation, in Rosneft’s headquarters, Moscow. The main purpose of the document is to identify specific areas of mutual interest within the region for the purposes of jointly accessing hydrocarbon exploration opportunities.

The LoI states that the parties (and their affiliates) will seek to work together to obtain any rights to geological study and/or production of hydrocarbons in the region that may be offered by the Russian Government.

Rosneft and BP agreed to form a joint working group by the end of 2006 to negotiate a cooperation agreement in the Arctic region based on the principles of the LoI.

The companies agreed that the LoI would be effective until 31 December 2007 with the possibility of further extension.