Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al Kaabi called on gas exporting countries on Monday to work together to protect energy infrastructure and shipping lanes during conflicts.
Al Kaabi, who is also president and chief executive of QatarEnergy, spoke at the 28th Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported.
“It is critical that we work together to protect energy infrastructure during times of conflict, including energy routes and maritime shipping lanes, whose disruption has far-reaching implications for global trade and energy security,” he said.
Al Kaabi cited the conflict in the Gulf region and repeated attacks on energy facilities across the region. He said the attacks have severely curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and restricted the world’s access to energy and other essential products.
“The State of Qatar itself was the target of several attacks on our energy production facilities. As a result, our production was halted, and our LNG vessels faced severe restrictions on their movement through regional shipping routes,” he said.
He said Qatar remains committed to supplying the world with reliable energy, particularly liquefied natural gas.
Meeting growing global demand for natural gas will require significant and sustained investment across the entire gas value chain, Al Kaabi said. He said that investment needs greater market certainty, fair access to financing and long-term cooperation between producers and consumers.
“Natural gas is here to stay,” he said, describing the fuel as a cornerstone of a diversified global energy mix.
The ministerial meeting was held ahead of the GECF’s 8th Summit of Heads of State and Government, which is also taking place in Moscow.
