Gas Forum kicks off in Moscow

Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh is chairing the natural gas event, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address the forum.

GECF is a gathering of the world’s leading gas producers and serves as a platform for sharing experience and information among member countries to increase the level of coordination and strengthen collaboration.

Major members of the forum are Iran, Russia, Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, the UAE and Venezuela.

The observers in the forum include Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman and Peru.

The member states have 70 percent of the world's natural gas reserves, and maintain 42 percent of the global gas production.

In the two-day meeting, the importance of natural gas as an economical fuel will be discussed.

Upon arriving in Moscow, Zangeneh told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that members will decide on who will replace Mohammad Hossein Adeli as the new secretary general of the forum for another two-year period.

Zamgeneh also said that Iran and Russia are of the same view on who to be elected as the next secretary general.

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