The sixth Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) with the theme of "Energy Security in the World" officially began with the speech by the Emir of Qatar on Tuesday morning.
The meeting is attended by the presidents, prime ministers and energy ministers of Iran, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and observer members including Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Norway, Peru and the United Arab Emirates.
The member states together account for 45% of world gas trade and 65% of proven global gas reserves.
The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) was established in 2001 in Tehran. Since the establishment of the forum, 23 meetings have been held at the level of ministers and five meetings at the level of heads of state. Iran is one of the largest holders of proven natural gas reserves in the world, which with 338 thousand kilometres of the internal gas supply network, is one of the leading countries in this field and due to its geographical location and existing infrastructure can be the most desirable option for gas transmission to east and west.
Speaking in the Sixth Summit of Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Qatar, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi congratulated Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for chairing the Sixth Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum and thanked the government and people of Qatar for holding the meeting and their warm hospitality.
"I also thank Mr. Secretary-General and his colleagues in the Secretariat of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum for their efforts and preparations for the summit," he said. "I hope that with God's help, this summit will be able to further strengthen the fields and horizons of cooperation between the members to preserve and safeguard natural gas, which is their God-given national capital."
"Holding six summits of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum during the life of this emerging intergovernmental organisation, more than any other fact is a strong sign of convergence, solidarity and determination of its members to pursue the goals of the forum, the bases of which were founded with Tehran's initiative in 2001," Raeisi pointed out.
The Iranian President went on to say, "The purpose of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum and its founders and members is to protect the sovereignty of countries over their natural resources, especially gas, cooperate in finding solutions to protect the collective interests of member countries, development of cooperation between countries in various fields such as exploration, production and trade of natural gas, strengthening the role of natural gas in the composition of world energy consumption and cooperation in strengthening the security of supply and security of natural gas demand. Summits are also an opportunity to work together to achieve these goals."
"As countries with huge reserves and gas exporters, in order to improve the security of natural gas demand, by pursuing the goals and mission of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, we can send a clear message to the world for guaranteeing sustainable energy supply in the short and long term," President Raeisi emphasised.
"More than a decade after the first summit of this forum in 2011, which was held in Doha under the theme of "Natural Gas, a Response to the Challenges of Sustainable Development in the 21st Century", the world now needs collective efforts of the member states of the Forum more than ever to fulfil this theme," he added.
"The sixth summit is the first summit after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its theme, "Natural Gas: Shaping the Future of Energy," has a constructive and positive message to the society, which is the current conditions of energy markets and the difficult path of the world in the economic recovery after coronavirus, natural gas will be a contributing factor," Raeisi said."As a clean, safe and richly extractable fuel, natural gas will make up a significant share of the world's energy composition for decades to come, and will maintain its economic, technical and environmental benefits in comparison with other fuels."
"The growing trend of electrification in the coming decades, and the role of natural gas as the most important input to electricity generation, reinforces this perspective. From this perspective, our approach as members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum to supply more natural gas to the world market is a humanitarian approach," he added.
ZZ/President.ir
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