JEDDAH, 6 October 2005 — The International Energy Forum, a body for oil and gas producers and consumers, will inaugurate its permanent headquarters in Riyadh next month, according to Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi.
Oil ministers from major producing and consuming countries will attend the opening of IEF’s center in the Saudi capital on Nov. 19, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting Naimi.
The heads of many international oil companies will also be present, Naimi said. A seminar will accompany the inauguration during which industry officials and executives will debate issues such as the link between energy and the world economy and future oil projects, he said.
The forum’s executive council includes France, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
IEF’s Riyadh-based secretariat includes representatives from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). It was established to work toward promoting continuous dialogue between producers and consumers and to expand this dialogue to include international and regional energy, technological and environmental issues.
