The oil minister, who made the remarks during his speech at the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the 7th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit of Heads of State and Government in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, added, “Geopolitical tensions and the application of any unilateral or multilateral sanctions are in contradiction with the principles and standards of international law and jeopardize the energy security of societies.”

The full text of Owji’s speech is as follows:

His Excellency Mohamed Arqab, Honorable Minister of Mines and Energy of Algeria

The Honorable President of the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum

His Excellency, Mohamed Hamel, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum,

Distinguished Ministers,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1- It is a great honor for me to have the chance to share my views with you in the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), which is organized for the purpose of holding the 7th Summit of the of Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), and would like to express my heartfelt will to join the ministerial meeting of the of Gas Exporting Countries Forum.

In the first instance, it is imperative to highlight the ongoing activities of the Zionist regime, which involve acts of infanticide and genocide witnessed on a global scale. As we unequivocally denounce such actions, our hearts go out to the beleaguered Palestinian nation. We offer our heartfelt prayers for the downtrodden inhabitants of Palestine and earnestly beseech the benevolence and assistance of the Divine to alleviate their plight.

First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to the Algerian government for hosting these important events in the beautiful city of Algiers and thank the hospitality of the people and the government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. I am sure that this summit, like the previous ones, will provide a platform for exchanging views and making constructive decisions about the future of the Forum.

Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies,

2- So far, the six GECF summits held during the lifetime of this nascent international organization indicates a strong sign of the convergence, solidarity and determination among its members to pursue the objectives of the Forum, whose initial foundations were laid in 2001 in Tehran. During these years, via pursuing their goals and relying on cooperation and coordination, the GECF member countries have managed to create a prominent Forum in the international arena and have strengthened its position in the world energy scene.

3- According to the forecasts stipulated in the Outlook of the GECF, the natural gas trade will increase by 36% by 2050, and by 2025, the share of natural gas in the world’s energy mix is expected to exceed that of coal, and by 2040 natural gas along with renewables may improve air quality is to become the main source of energy in the world. Replacing traditional fuels, and could provide a possible and cost-effective path for energy transition.

4- Also, the geopolitical and regional developments that occurred in the last two years have shown that natural gas and its international trade are still considered a vital factor in the energy security of the human societies of the world, and despite the steps taken to achieve environmental goals and liberalization of energy markets, whenever global energy security is jeopardized, energy policymakers give priority to ensuring their country’s energy security over other goals.

5- We have all witnessed that the European Union, which has always been the pioneer of energy liberalization policies and has emphasized the deregulation of the oil and gas markets in the past decades; when faced with a gas shortage crisis turned to non-market policies such as price ceilings, and prevented the full functioning of the market mechanism.

6- Development of the gas industry in the world and the realization of the security of supply and demand of natural gas in the global markets require world peace and depoliticization of energy trade. Based on this, geopolitical tensions and the application of any unilateral or multilateral sanctions are in contradiction with the principles and standards of international law and jeopardize the energy security of societies. It is worth mentioning that ordinary people especially those in developing countries are the victims of jeopardizing energy security.

7- I would like to emphasize that improving the position of the Forum in the global gas markets and playing a more effective role in ensuring the global energy security is an inevitable necessity for the growth and development of developing countries. Therefore, I would like to suggest that the common thoughts and collective collaboration of the members of the Forum to be improved at the "strategic, managerial and technical" levels. In my opinion, the exchange of successful experiences among member countries at the aforesaid levels is of great importance.

8- The study of the draft statement prepared for the 7th GECF Summit also indicates the consensus of all member countries in the GECF on the key and increasing role of natural gas in meeting the energy needs of sustainable development and the energy transition era, relying on the unique characteristics of this energy carrier. Emphasizing the sovereignty rights of member states over their gas resources, energy depoliticization and condemning unilateral sanctions outside the framework of the United Nations, enhancing cooperation for the continuous supply of gas to global markets, collaboration in technical and technological fields, and increasing gas consumption in the transportation sector are all the most important issues raised in the Summit Statement and has been collectively agreed upon.

In my view, the main message of the Summit Statement is to display our shared responsibility to promote a sustainable and secure energy future for all. Our approach, as members of the GECF, which holds the largest natural gas reserves, is to supply more natural gas to the world market, focusing on humanitarian and, justice-oriented approaches, considering its environment-friendly aspects and facilitating energy access in all societies in the world.

Your Excellencies,

9- The Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the world’s largest holders of proven natural gas reserves, and operators of the domestic natural gas distribution networks in the world, expresses its readiness for any cooperation in the fields of exploration, drilling, development, exploitation and distribution of natural gas. The realization of this issue requires the promotion of strategic management and technical-engineering capabilities, which will play a prominent role in encouraging international joint ventures. This strategy is a collective strategy and through it, the technological power of the member countries of the Forum will be strengthened in the development chain of the natural gas industry.

10- Therefore, I would like to cordially ask all the GECF member countries to unanimously welcome the principles of energy depoliticization to strengthen international cooperation and dialogue. In addition, we need to defend ourselves against the negative impacts of unilateral sanctions, which hinder not only the progress of producing countries, but also the global environmental agenda. It is our shared responsibility to promote a sustainable and secure energy future for all. As we gather here today, let us take a practical step towards achieving the Forum's goals by defining joint projects and strategic partnerships and leveraging the established infrastructure of the GECF.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

11- During 7 high-level meetings presided by the esteemed representative of Algeria, and with the cooperation of the Secretariat and via benefiting from the experiences of the high-level experts of the member countries, our colleagues have made a lot of efforts to draft the Statement of the 7th summit. I hope the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting manages to finalize the text of the draft statement with the cooperation and consensus of the GECF member countries.

12- I am confident that with the excellent arrangement and planning of the esteemed government of Algeria, the 7th Summit of the GECF will be held very well, and its signals will become the center of attention of the world’s energy stakeholders.

13- In the end, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to HE Mohamed Arqab, the Honorable Minister of Mines and Energy of Algeria, Chairman of the Extraordinary Meeting, HE. Fatiha Nafah, the Honorable Chairman of the High-ranking Board, HE. Sheikh Mishal, the Honorable Chairman of the Executive Board and other esteemed members of the High-ranking Board. Also, I would like to express my appreciation to HE Mohammad Hamel, the esteemed Secretary General of the GECF and the capable staff of the Secretariat for their efforts.

14- Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to cordially invite Your Excellencies to participate in the 26th GECF Ministerial Meeting, which is tentatively scheduled to be hosted by Islamic Republic of Iran in late 2024.

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