Moscow, 27 October. Participants in the eighth summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) adopted the Moscow Declaration in Moscow, calling natural gas a key source for the world's growing energy demand, including from data centres and artificial intelligence technologies, and reaffirming the "absolute and permanent sovereign right" of member countries over their resources.
The GECF is an intergovernmental organisation of major gas producers founded 25 years ago; it has 12 members: Russia, Algeria, Bolivia, Venezuela, Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Libya, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Equatorial Guinea and the UAE. Several more countries are observers, among them Azerbaijan, Angola, Iraq, Malaysia, Mozambique, Senegal and Peru. According to the Kremlin's list, the presidents of Iran, Equatorial Guinea and Mozambique, the Emir of Qatar and the chairman of Libya's Presidential Council attended. From Central Asia, Turkmenistan took part as an invited state, represented by State Minister and Turkmengaz chairman Maksat Babayev. Kazakhstan is not a GECF member.
As summarised by Kommersant, member countries committed to increasing gas use in all sectors of the economy, promoting a "pragmatic, just and balanced" transition to low-carbon energy and a "realistic climate agenda", and consulting each other more often on security of supply. The declaration expresses concern about the impact of conflicts in the Middle East on the gas market: supply disruptions, uncertainty, price volatility and risks for investors. In his speech Putin dismissed talk that gas exporters were forming a "cartel".
What it means: The largest gas exporters have taken a united stand for treating gas as a transition fuel rather than a commodity to be phased out. Moscow, as host, gained a platform where its energy position coincided with that of Iran, Qatar and other producers.
Who benefits: Gas producers, who now have a common position against restrictions on gas in climate policy. Russia: an international summit in Moscow and partners' support. Turkmenistan, invited without membership, gains access to the platform of the largest exporters. For Kazakhstan, which is not in the forum, GECF decisions create no direct obligations.
Background: Previous GECF summits were held in Qatar (2011 and 2022), Russia (2013), Iran (2015), Bolivia (2017), Equatorial Guinea (2019) and Algeria (2024). The forum's ministerial meeting that prepared the declaration opened in Moscow on 26 October.
We have also reported that a ministerial meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum opened in Moscow.
