Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Tehran to attend the 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, Iran State TV (IRINN) reported.
The presidents of Bolivia, Russia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Venezuela Iraq andTurkmenistan 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.