Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago H E Dr. Keith Rowley
Doha: Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago H E Dr. Keith Rowley expressed his great confidence in the ability of the 6th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) to enhance cooperation and relations among its member states.
In a speech at the opening session of the 6th GECF Summit in Doha yesterday, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago expressed his great gratitude to the State of Qatar under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the warm welcome he received since his arrival in the country to participate in the forum.
He stressed GECF’s importance in laying the groundwork for the countries participating in the forum to work together so that natural gas becomes a sustainable energy source in the future, adding that natural gas represents a sector around which member states gather to meet all challenges and adopt it as a source of sustainable energy in the future.
Keith Rowley referred to the continuous fluctuations that the liquefied gas markets are going through in many different stages and their connection to global oil prices, which poses threats to the public budgets of some countries. He said that natural gas is capable of providing solutions in this field and dealing with price fluctuations in liquefied gas.
Natural gas can help transition to a low-carbon economy and reduce the carbon footprint, the Prime Minister said, adding that it is necessary to promote dialogue between producers and consumers of natural gas and expand cooperation between government agencies and other bodies related to the sector.
He added that GECF plays a major role in achieving this expansion and transferring the latest modern technologies used in the various stages of natural gas production.
He valued the close relations between the State of Trinidad and Tobago and GECF and the added value achieved by his country’s involvement in it, given the GECF’s importance in the field of the natural gas sector. He added that the GECF countries constitute 70 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves, 44 percent of the production markets, and 52 percent of pipelines.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister stressed the GECF’s importance in discussing the role of natural gas in shaping the future of energy in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era and achieving sustainable development. He also said that the momentum of the energy sector was affected by the pandemic and that producers are asking for high prices to meet the cost of production.
