The key facts
- Pezeshkian's delegation will include Araghchi and Bovard — the diplomatic and oil portfolios
- The ambassador called the GECF an instrument for protecting sovereign rights to resources
- Forum members account for 70% of the world's gas reserves
Delegation composition and visit program
Iran has engaged both its diplomatic and oil sectors in preparations for the eighth summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow. Iran's Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali announced the composition of President Masoud Pezeshkian's delegation in an interview with TASS: it will include Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Oil Minister Hamid Bovard. Pezeshkian has already arrived in Moscow, will speak at the summit, and will then hold talks with Vladimir Putin; meetings with representatives of other states are also planned. One of the main topics of the Russian-Iranian talks will be the development of trade and economic cooperation.
How Tehran assesses the forum's role
According to Jalali, as quoted by Life.ru, Iran views the GECF not only as an energy platform: the ambassador called the organization an instrument for protecting states' sovereign rights to natural resources, which, in his assessment, is especially important against the backdrop of pressure from Western countries that is shaping global energy markets. He explained the forum's weight by the scale of its members' resources: GECF countries, including observer states, account for 70% of the world's proven gas reserves, 38% of market production, 42% of global exports, and 47% of LNG supplies. Including both the foreign minister and the oil minister in the delegation reflects this approach: Tehran is representing both the political and the energy dimension at the summit.
