[ecr]

During his participation in the meeting’s works in his capacity as representative of the Minister of State, Minister of Energy, Mines, and Renewable Energy, Mohamed Arkab, in the presence of Sonatrach’s CEO, Rachid Hachichi, the Secretary General of the ministry, Abdelkrim Aouissi, affirmed that “Algeria, as an active member of the Forum, gives great importance to strengthening cooperation between member States, particularly in facing challenges of the global energy sector,” said the press release.

During the opening session of the ministerial meeting chaired by the Iranian Oil Minister, Mohsen Paknejad, Aouissi recalled the great success of the 7^th Summit of Heads of State and Government of GECF member countries, organized by Algeria in March 2024, affirming that the Algiers Declaration adopted at the summit represents an ambitious roadmap to achieve a common vision of a sustainable energy future in which natural gas plays a crucial role.

The Forum, as a global platform for dialogue on energy issues, continues to strengthen its strategic position by increasing memberships, which contributes to promoting natural gas as a practical solution to ensure the balance between energy security and environmental sustainability, he said, qualifying natural gas as a vital energy for a cleaner and more prosperous future.

He emphasized that global natural gas demand is expected to increase by 34 to 36% by 2050, which confirms, in his view, the central role of this energy in meeting growing global energy needs. [/ecr]