MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/. At a meeting of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee, OPEC+ countries partially touched on US President Donald Trump's statements on increasing oil production and calls for OPEC to reduce prices, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"This topic was partially touched on, one way or another. The issue is certainly on the agenda in terms of market analysis and how the deal is working today, the effectiveness of the deal," he said.
Novak noted that OPEC+ ministers at the meeting stressed the commitment and correctness of the alliance's efforts to balance the market and coordinate actions.
The Deputy Prime Minister also expressed confidence that the OPEC+ deal is now in the interests of not only oil exporters, but also, first and foremost, its consumers.
"It is very important to maintain this balance of interests, since the market is quite complex, with very long investment cycles, a capital-intensive market. Therefore, it is important that investments are made," he added.
According to Novak, the actions under the OPEC+ agreement, which have been carried out by more than 20 countries since 2016, are an "absolutely good" tool for the oil market.
"The result that we see on the market is a gradual recovery of investments, a balance of supply and demand. These are the goals for which the agreement is in effect," the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that his country plans to increase oil production. The American leader also noted that the United States will seek a reduction in oil prices from Saudi Arabia and OPEC, including to put pressure on Russia, which is part of OPEC+.