TEHRAN, Nov. 17 (Shana) � President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow will participate in the third summit meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) to be held in Tehran on November 20-23.
On Sunday, petroleum ministry's Director General for OPEC and Energy Forums Mehdi Assali said that seven heads of state and government including one president from a friendly country will take part in the summit.
Turkmenistan which is one the world�s largest holders of gas resources is not a GECF member and its participation in the summit will be with a guest status.

Earlier, media reports said that presidents of Bolivia, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Russia, and Venezuela have confirmed their participation in the event.
Previous GECF gas summits were held in Qatar in 2011 and in Moscow in 2013.

The GECF is the gathering of the world�s leading gas producers that provides a framework for exchange of experience, views, information and data, as well as coordination in gas related developments among member countries.
It consists of 17 main and observer members with its permanent secretariat positioned in Doha, Qatar.

Russia, Iran, Qatar, Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates, are main members of the gas exporting body. Observer countries are the Netherlands, Iraq, Oman, Peru and Norway.
GECF members account for 42 percent of global gas output, 70 percent of global gas reserves, 40 percent of pipe gas transmission, and 65 percent of global trade of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

by SHANA