TEHRAN- At the 28th Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow, Iran’s Acting Minister of Oil, Hamid Bovard, presented a broad strategic vision linking global energy security to peace, regional stability, the security of critical infrastructure, and respect for national sovereignty.

Speaking as the Forum marked its 25th anniversary, Bovard said the global energy system is passing through one of its most complex periods of geopolitical, economic, and technological change. He thanked Russia for hosting the meeting and honored the memory of those killed in the recent war waged by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran, including Ayatollah Khamenei, civilians, schoolchildren in Minab, and athletes from Lamerd.

Bovard argued that the recent energy crisis caused by the imposed war demonstrated that energy security is not merely an economic or technical issue. It is inseparably tied to peace, regional stability, infrastructure security, and respect for national sovereignty. The consequences of aggression, he said, can extend beyond the region and affect global energy supply, economic growth, and development. He criticized US military interventions in areas including the Persian Gulf and unilateral economic sanctions, saying they not only target Iran’s legitimate rights and interests but also damage trust, investment security, and the predictability of global energy markets. In Iran’s view, world energy security cannot be achieved without the security of energy producers, respect for their sovereignty, sustainable investment, and effective international cooperation.

He said the GECF must become more than ever a platform for convergence, dialogue, and practical cooperation among producing countries, and described the Eighth GECF Summit as a valuable opportunity to strengthen this approach and set a new horizon for strategic cooperation. While the Forum was founded in Tehran in 2001 and is entering a new institutional phase, Bovard said rapid global changes require members to preserve fundamental principles while reconfiguring priorities, tools, and cooperation mechanisms. Iran’s strategic priorities include flexibility toward global energy crises, strengthening natural gas’s role in the future energy mix, and expanding investment, management, and technological cooperation.

Citing the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 and geopolitical developments in 2026, Bovard said global energy markets are more exposed than ever to unpredictable shocks. The GECF should strengthen its capacity for early risk identification, crisis scenario analysis, and coordinated responses. He called for revising the Forum’s long-term strategy with emphasis on strengthening the natural gas value chain. Natural gas, he said, will remain a key pillar of global energy security and economic development because of its reliability, abundance, operational flexibility, industrial applications, and complementary role in renewable energy development. According to the GECF Global Gas Outlook, global gas demand will rise 31 percent by 2055 to more than 5,400 billion cubic meters, and its share of the world energy mix will increase from about 23 percent to 26 percent.

Bovard proposed that the Secretariat, with member participation, study a roadmap to raise natural gas’s share of the global energy mix to an ambitious 30 percent. Such a roadmap should rest on economic studies, long-term demand assessment, investment requirements, and environmental considerations. He also said members should adopt a coordinated approach, based on technical realities and common interests, toward climate regulations and mechanisms that could impose unbalanced restrictions on energy trade and investment, including the possible effects of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

He stressed that huge underground reserves alone do not guarantee supply security. What converts gas resources into energy security is timely investment, access to technology, infrastructure development, and sustainable demand. The GECF outlook estimates that meeting global needs through 2055 will require about $11.6 trillion in upstream investment and $735 billion in midstream investment—more than $12 trillion in total. This makes a stable, predictable environment with appropriate financing mechanisms essential.

Bovard said member cooperation could focus on three areas: first, joint financing and investment mechanisms for gas projects using national, regional, and international financial institutions; second, technological cooperation, knowledge transfer, training, and joint upstream, midstream, and downstream projects, where Iran has extensive experience; and third, structured dialogue between producers and consumers to increase demand security, reduce investment risks, and balance supplier and consumer interests. The Secretariat could play a more active role in identifying opportunities, facilitating contacts among specialized institutions, and following up on practical results.

As a proposer and main founder of the GECF, Iran has consistently emphasized multilateral cooperation, mutual respect, and common capacities for sustainable gas industry development. Bovard said the 14th government, under the Seventh Development Plan, prioritizes cooperation with international energy organizations, especially the GECF. Iran holds the world’s second-largest proven gas reserves and has strategic geography and extensive technical, industrial, and human capacities.

Despite decades of sanctions and imposed wars, Iran’s gas industry has reached annual production capacity of about 300 billion cubic meters, making it one of the world’s three largest producers. Natural gas accounts for about 70 percent of Iran’s energy mix, and the gas network covers about 95 percent of the population. Bovard said Iran is ready to share these experiences through bilateral and multilateral cooperation and to help develop joint projects and strengthen GECF members’ capabilities.

He concluded that the future of the gas industry depends not only on reserves and production capacity but also on the quality of cooperation, policy stability, and the ability to respond jointly to global challenges. The Forum’s 25th anniversary, he said, is an opportunity to begin a new chapter of results-oriented cooperation, joint investment, and strategic convergence. He expressed confidence that collective will and the Secretariat’s capacities can further strengthen the GECF’s role in global energy dialogue and hoped the ministerial meeting and Eighth Summit would strengthen solidarity and realize the common interests of gas producers and consumers.

MA