Leonid Bokhanovskiy, secretary general of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) hosted the 2nd Meeting of the forum’s high level working group for the long-term strategy (HLWG-LTS) and the 13th meeting of the executive board (EB) in Doha recently.

The meetings were attended by senior delegations from GECF member countries, Algeria, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, in addition to observer members, the Netherlands and Norway.

Chaired by Ali Hached, Algeria’s senior adviser to the energy minister, the HLWG-LTS met with the aim of continuing the discussion on mapping the long-term strategy of the GECF and further reinforcing the forum’s position as a committed international organisation that serves as a platform for the exchange of views and insight on the gas market.

During the meeting, participants also discussed the challenges facing the natural gas industry, and the current global economic situation, further underlining the important role of the GECF as a factor of stability and co-operation for member and consumer countries alike.

Held under the chairmanship of Ilya Galkin, EB member from Russia, the 13th EB meeting discussed the current global gas market and the inclusion of new members and observers from the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia and South America.

The delegates also discussed initiatives related to the enhancement of the forum’s
research capacity and the creation of financial instruments. Preparations for the 14th ministerial meeting of GECF, which is expected to take place in Equatorial Guinea in November, was also on the agenda.

Bokhanovskiy presented a report on the activities and recent developments of the forum. He also reported on recent official visits to South America and Asia, and provided board members with updates on developments of GECF procedures, and the execution of the budget for the first half of 2012.

The EB serves as the governing body, which directs the forum’s affairs and implements the decisions of the ministers of member countries. EB members meet regularly to set concrete plans related to the development of the internal structure of the forum and strengthening its capabilities.

The meetings in Doha set the framework for the subsequent work for the 12 GECF member countries.