A high-ranking foreign delegation arrived in Astana on Monday to discuss Kazakhstan’s demands for compensation for production delays and soaring costs at the Kashagan oilfield in the Caspian Sea.

A group led by Italy’s Eni is under intense pressure to meet a November 30 deadline set by Kazakhstan for amicable settlement of the dispute, which erupted after the Italian energy group presented a revised development plan for Kashagan, one of the world’s biggest oilfields.