H.E. Gabriel Mbega Obiang Lima, President of the Ministerial Meeting and Minister of Mines, Industry and Energy of The Republic of Equatorial Guinea; H.E. Alexander Novak, Alternate President of the Ministerial Meeting and Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation. Excellencies, Members of the Ministerial Meeting and distinguished Chairman of the Executive Board.
Welcome to the 14th Ministerial Meeting, I would like to thank H.E. President of Equatorial Guinea for hosting this meeting as well as the Minister and the Executive Board Member from Equatorial Guinea.
We have placed in front of your Excellencies, Blue Pearl Shell Oysters, with compliments of the GECF, a symbol of our global leadership, strength and value to natural gas markets. We must continue to invest in our cooperation and exchange of ideas to maintain our relevance in the sector. Please accept our compliments and the assurances of our highest consideration.
This is fifth time the Ministers are meeting in Africa, a symbol of the existing and potential opportunities the region presents to the Forum and indeed the world. GECF is proud to be here and we look forward to facilitating inbound and outbound cooperation among Member Countries in the region and Forum-wide. As we continue to seek global cooperation among Member Countries, we must strengthen our internal processes to enable us to effectively facilitate such cooperation and collaborations as declared by the Ministers in the Doha Declaration at the First Gas Summit.
This has been a very important year for the GECF; we have been actively involved in studies and research activities that are relevant to the Forum and the global gas sector. Our mandate as an organization with the leading gas exporting and producing countries is to establish leadership in this sector; in furtherance to this, we continue to stimulate conversations and debates through research, cooperation and investment in the sector.
This year we have tagged ‘Progressive’ not because of what have achieved as a Forum, but because of our collective efforts to continuously renew our commitment year after year in this assembly of Minsters, and because of the immersed potential this distinguished Forum presents to the international community.
This Ministerial meeting will set the tone for our activities as a vehicle for cooperation in 2013 among Member countries; we excited about this and are ready for the task ahead.
The path to becoming a ‘Trusted Authority in Gas’ is the destination we have chosen for 2013 and beyond, not because it is possible, but because as a Forum with your support, we can.
On that note, I would like to wish the distinguished Ministers successful and fruitful deliberations.
Thank you for your time and attention