Tehran to host 3rd GECF summit in 2015

The 16th ministerial meeting of the GECF was convened in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed the global gas market report, which covered the latest developments in the energy market in general and in the gas market in particular, including but not limited to: short term trend of supply and demand for natural gas worldwide and in specific regions and countries, the evolution of LNG trade across the regions, developments of the gas prices, according to the GECF official website. The ministers reiterated the need to monitor the challenges facing the gas industry and the secretariat will continue the evaluation of developments occurring in the energy market with a focus on the supply and demand, Tehran Times reports. They also approved Peru as the new observer member of GECF. It was also decided that the 17th ministerial meeting will be convened in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2015. GECF is an intergovernmental organization of the world's top natural gas producers. The member countries of the Forum are: Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Kazakhstan, Iraq, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, and Peru have the status of observer members. In 2013, GECF ministers elected Iran's candidate Mohammad Hossein Adeli, a former governor of central bank and diplomat, as the new secretary general of the forum for the next two years.