BEIRUT: Iran is ready to provide Lebanon with its expertise in terms of petrol extraction, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon said during a meeting with Energy and Water Minister Gibran Bassil Tuesday, the National News Agency reported. Referring to Lebanon as a “brother state,” Ghadanfar Rukn Abadi said Iran wanted to allow Lebanon to benefit from its expertise.

Answering a question about the dispute between Lebanon and Israel over the delimitation of maritime borders, the ambassador said the issue “needed to be examined by experts and [concerned] stakeholders.”

“We, as the Islamic Republic of Iran, have … experts in the field of petrol extraction … and we’re ready to cooperate with Lebanon on this field,” Abadi added.

The dispute over maritime borders erupted last month after Israel proposed maritime borders which Lebanese officials argue infringe on the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Part of the disputed area, which is approximately 854 square kilometers, is believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves.

“We’re ready to cooperate and to reinforce our cooperation in different areas, especially given that the Islamic Republic of Iran has reached self-sufficiency in most fields,” the ambassador said.

Asked if there would be political implications to such an agreement, Abadi said that Iran had made clear before that it “only wants the good of Lebanon and of all Lebanese.”

“We want the good of Lebanon and of all countries,” he insisted.

During the meeting, Abadi also handed Basil a letter on behalf of his Iranian counterpart, congratulating him for keeping his post at the ministry in the new Cabinet.

“It was the occasion to discuss the areas on which the two ministries cooperate and the implementation of previous agreements on the sectors of energy, electricity, dams, water and petrol in a near future,” Abadi said.

An initial draft of a proposed law delineating Lebanon’s maritime areas was approved by Parliament’s Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water Committee and the draft law is scheduled to be discussed during a legislative session expected to convene Wednesday and Thursday.

In line with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which Lebanon signed in 1994, the country is obliged to draft a law specifying maritime areas under its sovereignty.