GECF
Members account for 43% of the world's gas production and own 72% of the world's
gas reserves; 55% of the gas transmission by pipeline and 50% of the liquefied
natural gas (LNG) trade is also carried out by GECF member states.
“Using energy as a political tool and sanctioning the most important owners of natural gas reserves will have irreparable consequences on the world’s environment and will make it impossible to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals,” said Oji, addressing the 24th Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Cairo, Egypt.
“I believe that the realization of a global ecosystem with zero carbon emission will remain only a slogan without political will, financial resources, investment in infrastructure, and serious scientific and technological cooperation of all nations,” he said.
Underlining the important role of natural gas in the world’s energy transition, the official stated that the members of the GECF assembly should put new policies on the agenda to promote and facilitate natural gas consumption.
Oji further emphasized the need to pay more attention to environmental issues, saying, “As a person who has worked in engineering and management activities in Iran's gas sector for many years, I believe reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment is possible considering the existing technical and engineering capabilities.”
Emphasizing that it is necessary for developing and developed countries to pay serious attention to new technologies in various fields such as carbon absorption, utilization, and storage of natural gas, and reducing the leakage of methane or blue hydrogen, he added, “Fortunately, new technologies for reducing the carbon emission in the natural gas production process are widely available if there is the political will to do so.”
The official finally stressed the need for improving the GECF status in the global gas market for ensuring the world's energy security, saying, “I suggest that joint thinking and construction cooperation among the members of the assembly should be promoted at strategic, managerial and technical levels.”
“I believe that the exchange of successful experiences among member countries at the mentioned levels is very important,” he added.
The ministerial meeting is the highest governing body of the forum, and according to the GECF statute, it is held once a year.
Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela are 11 main members of GECF, and Malaysia, Norway, Iraq, Peru, Azerbaijan, UAE, and Mozambique are observer members in the forum.
