I have the honor to begin by expressing my sincere congratulation your Excellencies, distinguished OPEC heads of delegations, on the occasion of the New Year and wish you and your family health and happiness in the year 2022.

I also wish to express gratitude to his Excellency Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, our OPEC secretary general, and his colleagues for his leadership and all their invaluable services in OPEC secretariat.

On behalf of the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I have the pleasure to cordially congratulate the government and people of Kuwait, his Excellency Dr. Al-Fares, the Minister of Petroleum of Kuwait, and Mr. Haitham Al-Ghais, on his appointment as the OPEC secretary general.

We hope that his appointment will be a critical step in advancing the organization’s goals.

We hope that his appointment will be a critical step in advancing the organization achieving the collective goals of OPEC and its member countries and the fair and forward-looking leadership of the OPEC secretariat.

I wish him every success in his new position and through this challenging time of fossil fuels.

I hope that OPEC’s successes in the recent years under the guidance and leadership of Mr. Barkindo and his support and participation will continue in the future under the leadership of Mr. Al-Ghais.

I am confident that OPEC member countries will take into account in their decisions and actions the considerations of those member countries that have been subjected to unfair and illegal sanctions and have been deprived of their oil production and exports in recent years.

Thank you very much for the kind attention.