Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has met Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
Iranian Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Aliakbar Velayati an advisor to the Supreme Leader attended the meeting, IRNA news agency reported Nov. 23.
At the meeting Khamenei said that the independent countries' sole way to progress is to resist against global arrogance, by relying on fellow peoples in independent countries.
Iran's supreme leader also praised the Venezuelan nation for their opposition against the US policies in the Latin American countries.
Nicolás Maduro in turn said that "imperialism" is after undermining the independence of nations by creating chaos and anarchy in the world.
Maduro arrived in Tehran in the evening of 22 November to participate in third summit of the leaders the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).
The four-day meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum kicked off on Nov.20 in Tehran and the third summit of the leaders of the GECF member states is to be held in the evening of the Nov.23 with participation of nine heads of state.
The presidents of Bolivia, Russia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Venezuela Iraq and Turkmenistan as well as Algerian prime minister are expected to attend the meeting.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov, who arrived in Tehran Nov.22, will attend the upcoming GECF meeting as a special guest.
Russia, Iran, Qatar, Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates, are main members of the GECF. Observer countries are the Netherlands, Iraq, Oman, Peru, Azerbaijan and Norway.
GECF members account for 42 percent of global gas output, 70 percent of global gas reserve, 40 percent of piped gas transfer, and 65 percent of global trade of Liquefied Natural Gas.