Doha, 01 March 2024

Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, led Qatar’s delegation to the extraordinary ministerial meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), which is held in the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Speaking at the meeting, Al-Kaabi said: “The State of Qatar sees the critical need for a common vision for a fair, balanced, and sustainable energy transition, especially in the face of unrealistic targets or the emotional rhetoric calling to cancel oil and gas.”

He  said: “Energy transition is a shared responsibility that requires the collaboration of all stakeholders including end users, whose consumption patterns impact the level of demand and influence choices for energy generation.

'We, in the State of Qatar, have always reaffirmed our long-standing position in support of natural gas as a pivotal component of any energy mix on the road to a realistic transition. We also envisage natural gas as the main vehicle for fair and equitable access to cleaner energy.”

In his concluding remarks,  Minister Al-Kaabi called for meeting the challenges facing the energy industry, saying: 'It is critically important that we work together to ensure the security of energy supplies and the stability of markets through the uninterrupted availability of energy sources'.

The GECF extraordinary ministerial meeting was held in preparation of the 7^th Heads of State and Government Summit, which will convene in Algiers tomorrow, Saturday the 2^nd of March.

The Gas Exporting Countries Forum is a gathering of the world’s leading gas exporting countries that aims to build a mechanism for a more meaningful dialogue between gas producers and consumers to ensure stability and security of supply and demand in global natural gas markets.

On the sidelines of GECF summit in Algeria, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs of Qatar met his counterparts from Egypt, Nigeria, Mauritania, Senegal and Venezuela.  AlKaabi discussed on energy relations, cooperation between Qatar and their respective countries and means to enhance them, as well as issues related to the Forum.