1st Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum

The origins of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) can be traced to the First Meeting of Ministers held in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, on May 19-20, 2001. This 1st Ministerial Meeting was convened by the Minister of Petroleum of Iran and was attended by the governments of Algeria, Brunei, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and Norway (Observer).

During this 1st Ministerial Meeting, it was agreed that the aims of the Forum will be to foster the concept of mutuality of interests by favoring dialogue among producers, between producers and consumers as well as between governments and energy-related industries; to provide a platform for research and exchange of views, and to promote a stable and transparent energy market. These and other goals were outlined in a document prepared by the GECF Expert Meeting and approved by the Ministers as a mandate of the GECF.