In the name of Allah

HE Tarek Al-Mola

Esteemed President of the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the GECF, and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Egypt

Esteemed GECF Ministers

His Excellency Engineer Mohamed Hamel, Esteemed Secretary General of GECF
Excellencies,

First and foremost, I would like to thank the government and people of Qatar, our brother and friendly neighbor, for hosting this conference and the sixth GECF Summit. I hope that by exchanging perspectives on key issues of interest, particularly the vision and global expansion of the gas sector, and by taking effective decisions and steps, this summit will be able to take another step toward realizing the goals outlined in the Forum’s Statute.

Mr. President

Excellencies;

Over the last two years, we've seen Covid-19 and its new variant, Omicron, spread around the globe, wreaking havoc on the social and economic lives of most countries. Although less affected by the virus than other industries, the energy sector, particularly the gas industry, is no exception and has gone through ups and downs too. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the GECF, which controls about half of the world's natural gas and LNG exports, has been able to preserve its critical role in sustained supply of natural gas to the world. This is due to the member countries’ sustained efforts, and reflects the Forum's effective strategy.

For all stakeholders in international, regional, and global gas markets, one of the most important lessons learned from the pandemic is the importance of bilateral and multilateral international cooperation and strategic interactions with key energy organizations like OPEC, IEF and the IGU in transitioning from volatile conditions. With regard to the energy transition period and the climate change requirements as well as sustainable development, GECF has prioritized improving natural gas supply security to regional and global markets, as well as putting forth maximum effort to pave the way for a comprehensive development of natural gas and LNG use as an affordable and environmentally friendly fuel.

Excellencies,

Due to the growing importance of technologies like carbon capture, utilization, storage (CCUS), Blue Hydrogen, and methane emission reduction, it is absolutely necessary to facilitate the process of technology development and transfer as one of the main strategies to improve the members' production and export capacity and, as a result, strengthen the GECF gas export mix. Furthermore, the transfer of technical knowledge and successful experiences in areas of interest such as LNG production, the development of Liquefaction terminals, new methods of gas contract management, novel investment and project financing mechanisms, strategic management, and partnerships will ensure that potentialities and joint capabilities are fully utilized.

Dear colleagues,

The Islamic Republic of Iran's main strategy, as one of the world's largest holders of proven natural gas reserves and a founding member of GECF, is to ensure maximum support for the esprit de corps and collective decisions of GECF in accordance with the Statute agreed upon by members, with the goal of safeguarding the interests of both natural gas exporters and gas consumers.

Iran stands out as one of the leading countries in terms of domestic gas network, having  thousands of kilometers of domestic gas supply network. Similarly, we are convinced that imposing unilateral and extra territorial sanctions on any of the forum's member countries disrupts the smooth and consistent flow of natural gas around the world, jeopardizing natural gas supply security. In this regard, the Forum's support for the idea of "depoliticization of international and global gas interactions," as well as "the return to economic logic and multilateralism," as emphasized in the summit declaration, can play a critical role in ensuring global gas supply and demand sustainability, as well as the realization of fair prices for all stakeholders in the global gas industry. Unilateral and extralegal sanctions against Forum members not only violate international law, but also fuels uncertainty in the global energy market.

Recent trends in Europe's high natural gas prices have been exacerbated by strategic instability. Energy market balance benefits both energy producers and consumers.

I fully support the Forum's fundamental aim of promoting stability in energy sector through cooperation among members and other stakeholders in the global gas sector in order to transit to a safer and more sustainable future in the realm of energy. The Islamic Republic of Iran's Ministry of Petroleum, under President Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, is fully prepared to join forces with all of your Excellencies and mobilize all of its resources in the most efficient manner possible to carry out this strategy.

Finally, once again, I'd like to express my gratitude to HE Mr. Al-Kaabi, Qatar's Minister of Energy for his excellent arrangement and hospitality. I also wish to thank HE president Tark Al-Mola the Minster of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Egypt for his leadership. Thanks, and gratitude is also due to HE. Dr. Sentyurin, the GECF’s former Secretary General, and HE. Engineer Hamel, the Esteemed GECF Secretary General, and thank the Secretariat's able staff, the honorable president of the extraordinary ministerial meeting, and all the other esteemed colleagues involved in making this event as successful as it is.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.