OPEC chief hails Kuwait's role in founding OPEC+

29/09/2026 07:31 AST

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary General Haitham Al-Ghais has said that Kuwait played a significant role in the early consultations that helped bridge differences among several countries and paved the way for the creation of OPEC+. Al-Ghais made the remarks during a visit to Algeria to mark the 10th anniversary of the Algiers Agreement.

In a statement to KUNA, Al-Ghais said he had closely witnessed Kuwait's diplomatic efforts in the period leading up to the Algiers Agreement in September 2016 and the signing of the OPEC+ agreement in December of that year. At the time, he was Kuwait's governor at OPEC.

He said Kuwait helped encourage dialogue and understanding among oil-producing countries at a time when communication between them was difficult. He added that the joint efforts of Kuwait, Algeria and other countries contributed to the agreement's success and to stability in the global oil market.

Al-Ghais described the Algiers Agreement as the cornerstone of OPEC+. He said Algeria played a key role in ensuring it was implemented by setting up a high-level committee.

He said his meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune covered the importance of continued cooperation among oil-producing countries and of maintaining stability in global oil and energy markets.

On Sunday, Al-Ghais held talks with Algerian Minister of Energy and Mining Mohammad Arkab and Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies Mourad Adjal. They discussed developments in global oil markets, the market outlook and the challenges facing the industry.

KUNA