Third GECF summit

2015 GECF summit 3rd GECF summit
Host country	Iran
Date	22–23 November 2015
Venue(s)	Ejlas Saran Hall
Cities	Chamran Expressway, Tehran
Participants	GECF
Chair	Mohammad-Hossein Adeli
Follows	2nd GECF summit
Precedes	4th GECF summit
Website	Third GECF Gas Summit

The 3rd GECF summit was a biennial Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit, an international relations conference attended by the heads of state or heads of government of most member states of the GECF. The summit was held in Tehran, Iran, the first time the city has hosted the summit. Iran assumed the chair of the GECF from Russia on 1 January 2014.

Background

The summit was announced during the first meeting of the High-Level Ad Hoc Group for the 3rd Gas Summit on 20 May 2015. The group also discussed the draft summit declaration and other issues.

Participating leaders

Full members:

• 
  Iran
  Hassan Rouhani, President (Host)
• 
  Algeria
  Abdelmalek Sellal, Prime Minister
• 
  Bolivia
  Evo Morales, President
• 
  Egypt
  Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President
• 
  Equatorial Guinea
  Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President
• 
  Libya
  Mohammed al-Dairi, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 
  Nigeria
  Muhammadu Buhari, President
• 
  Qatar
  Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry
• 
  Russia
  Vladimir Putin, President
• 
  Trinidad and Tobago
  Keith Rowley, Prime Minister
• 
  United Arab Emirates
  Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister
• 
  Venezuela
  Nicolás Maduro, President

Observer members:

• 
  Iraq
  Fuad Masum, President
• 
  Kazakhstan
  Karim Massimov, Prime Minister
• 
  Netherlands
  Henk Kamp, Minister of Economic Affairs
• 
  Norway
  Tord Lien, Minister of Petroleum and Energy
• 
  Oman
  Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 
  Peru
  Marisol Espinoza, Vice President

Special Guest:

• 
  Azerbaijan
  Ilham Aliyev, President
• 
  Turkmenistan
  Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, President
• 
  European Union
  Federica Mogherini, High Representative
• 
  OPEC
  Abdallah Salem el-Badri, Secretary General

Final communique

The final communique underscored the need for stronger cooperation, including the transfer of expertise and pricing mechanisms. It also called for cooperation in the security of natural gas supplies to the global markets. It further objected to the application of extraterritorial laws, regulations and economic sanctions within the sector against the GECF member states.

Bilateral meetings

Leaders at the summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The two discussed "issues in bilateral relations, including atomic energy, oil and gas, and military-technical cooperation," according to his Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov. Putin also met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the summit