Cairo: Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi held discussions with officials from various international oil companies operating in Egypt, focusing on establishing a mechanism to develop drilling technologies and enhance field development. This initiative aims to align with the latest global technologies, thereby contributing to the implementation of a five-year plan to double domestic crude oil production.According to State Information Service Egypt, the minister emphasized that international companies in the petroleum sector have a significant history of achievements that have led to increased oil production over the past decades. He highlighted that Egypt has moved beyond the phase of declining crude oil and natural gas production indicators and has achieved production stability through the application of incentives designed to boost production rates.Badawi detailed that settling the dues of foreign partners was completed as per the ministry's plan, underscoring the need to advance co operation with foreign partners to steadily increase production. The ministry's current strategic objective is to double production over the next five years by expanding drilling activities using the latest global drilling technologies, with a particular focus on horizontal drilling.He stressed the importance of foreign partners investing in research and development of new drilling techniques tailored to Egypt's petroleum industry. Representatives of international companies commended the ministry's role in supporting expansion plans to increase production. They expressed their full support for implementing a clear operational mechanism to boost output by providing the latest technological solutions in drilling and field development.