Gas Exporters Led by Russia, Iran and Qatar Adopt a Moscow Declaration Rejecting Unilateral Sanctions

Leaders of the GECF adopted the Moscow Declaration at the close of the forum's eighth summit on Tuesday, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, BFM.ru reported. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo, Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Libya's Presidential Council chairman Mohamed al-Menfi attended in person, Egypt Daily News reported. Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, spoke by video.

Iran's state news agency presented the summit as a political alignment. IRNA's Persian-language report ran under a headline that translates as "Iran's energy diplomacy at the Moscow station: a common voice against sanctions, tariffs and discrimination." The agency said the summit statement showed agreement against sanctions, tariff wars and discrimination in access to technology.

According to Russian coverage of the text by Ura.news, members agreed to create mechanisms to respond to gas-market crises and to expand consultations on reliable supply. They expressed concern about events in the Middle East. They also rejected the extraterritorial application of national laws and unilateral coercive measures not authorized by the United Nations, language that covers US secondary sanctions. The text also calls for diversified trade routes, a "fair" gas price and less price volatility. Reports reviewed by this desk did not mention any commitment to settle gas trade in currencies other than the dollar.

US policy toward one member moved in the opposite direction on the same day. At a rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, President Donald Trump suggested that Venezuela become the 51st US state and elect a governor instead of a president. He also announced the arrival of the first shipment of one million barrels of Venezuelan oil, MercoPress reported.