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Egypt to Host 24th Meeting of Gas Exporting Countries Forum

A general view shows Tahrir Square after its renovation in Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
A general view shows Tahrir Square after its renovation in Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
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Egypt to Host 24th Meeting of Gas Exporting Countries Forum

A general view shows Tahrir Square after its renovation in Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
A general view shows Tahrir Square after its renovation in Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

Egypt will host the 24th Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) on Sunday under the chairmanship of Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla.

El-Molla explained that the three-day meeting comes amid a global dialogue about energy security and just weeks ahead of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) set to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh from November 6 to 18, according to a statement from the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

Sunday’s event, El-Molla added, is an opportunity to improve cooperation among the member states that have gas reserves, production and exports, and to ensure work is done in an environmentally responsible manner.

The GECF comprises 11 member states: Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

It also includes eight observers: Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mozambique, Norway, Peru and the UAE.

Together, these states are home to 72 percent of the global proven natural gas reserves, 55 percent of exports by pipeline and 50 percent of LNG exports.

El-Molla stressed Egypt's keenness on establishing a constructive global dialogue among member states focusing on the key role of natural gas in the transition from fossil-based energy to zero-carbon energy.

The GECF ministerial meeting, which is the supreme governing body of the forum, meets once a year.

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Report: Syrian Officials Plan to Attend IMF, World Bank Meetings in Washington

A view of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo at its headquarters in Washington, DC, US, November 24, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo at its headquarters in Washington, DC, US, November 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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Report: Syrian Officials Plan to Attend IMF, World Bank Meetings in Washington

A view of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo at its headquarters in Washington, DC, US, November 24, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo at its headquarters in Washington, DC, US, November 24, 2024. (Reuters)

Syria's finance minister, foreign minister and central bank chief are planning to attend the annual spring meetings held by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, DC this month, four sources familiar with the plans said.

It would be the first visit to the meetings by a high-level Syrian government delegation in at least two decades, and the first high-level visit by Syria's new authorities to the US since former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.

Two of the sources told Reuters it was unclear whether Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh and Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh had yet received visas to the United States.

Spokespeople for the IMF, World Bank, Syrian foreign ministry and Syrian presidency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The other two sources said a high-level meeting focused on reconstruction efforts for Syria could be held on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings.

Syria has been ravaged by nearly 14 years of a war that was sparked by a deadly crackdown on protests against Assad, with much of the country's infrastructure left in ruins.

The government that took over after Assad was ousted has sought to rebuild Syria's ties in the region and further afield, and to win support for reconstruction efforts.

But tough US sanctions imposed during Assad's rule remain in place. In January, the US issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage humanitarian aid, but this has had limited effect. Reuters reported in February that efforts to bring in foreign financing to pay public sector salaries had been hampered by uncertainty over whether this could breach US sanctions.

Last month the US gave Syria a list of conditions to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief but the administration of US President Donald Trump has otherwise engaged little with the country's new rulers.

That is in part due to differing views in Washington on how to approach Syria. Some White House officials have been keen to take a more hardline stance, pointing to the new Syrian leadership's former ties to Al-Qaeda as reason to keep engagement to a minimum, according to diplomats and US sources.