TEHRAN – Setting up a gas OPEC cartel will boost relations of the gas exporting countries, Javad Yarjani the Deputy Iranian Oil Minister for OPEC and International Energy Affairs stated Wednesday.

He made the statement on the sidelines of the 11th International Energy Forum in Rome adding members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) have all voiced their interest for the purpose.
This is while the Russian and Libyan presidents have recently supported the idea of a gas OPEC formation. Iran has drafted the gas OPEC charter which will be weighed in the next GECF meeting in June in Russia.
GECF is an organization of world's leading gas producers, which was established in Tehran in 2001.
The forum doesn't have a fixed membership structure; however, Algeria, Bolivia, Brunei, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad & Tobago, the UAE and Venezuela could be identified as current members.
Iranian officials have explicitly expressed strong support for a gas cartel and held official talks with Russia in this regard