ALGIERS – The Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, received on Monday in Algiers the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Mohamed Hamel, as part of the ongoing preparations for the 7th Summit of Heads of State and Government of this organization scheduled to be held in Algiers in 2024, according to a statement from the ministry.
During the meeting, attended by officials from the ministry and Sonatrach, both parties reviewed the status of the global gas market and the prospects for its short, medium, and long-term development, along with the mechanisms to be established to enable member countries to independently plan and manage gas resources, the statement noted.
The meeting provided an opportunity to examine the latest work of the Gas Research Institute (GRI), under the GECF, whose headquarters is hosted by Algeria following the decision made during the 6th Forum Summit held in Doha, Qatar in 2022.
The GRI serves as a framework for scientific and technological cooperation among member countries and a means of collaboration with similar institutes worldwide. It also serves as a platform for the professional development of experts from member countries through organizing training sessions, meetings, and workshops in the field.
The Forum aims to support the sovereign rights of member countries over their natural gas resources and their ability to autonomously plan and manage their sustainable development, taking into account environmental requirements by utilizing and preserving natural gas resources for the benefit of their people.
It seeks to establish a mechanism for dialogue between gas producers and consumers, which can stabilize and secure the supply and demand in the global natural gas markets.