Oil Minister Emphasizes Importance of Strengthening GCC Integration to Ensure Energy Supply Security and Sustainability

Manama, Oct 5 (KUNA) -- Kuwait’s Minister of Oil, Tariq Al-Roumi, affirmed on Monday that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are committed to strengthening their cooperation and integrating their capabilities in the energy sector, thereby supporting supply security, enhancing readiness to address regional and international developments, and cementing their pivotal and reliable role in global energy markets.

The Ministry of Oil said in a statement to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that these remarks were made by Minister Al-Roumi while he was leading the Kuwaiti delegation at the 37th meeting of the GCC Committee for Petroleum Cooperation, attended by the oil and energy ministers of the GCC states.

Al-Roumi stressed that the geopolitical developments and tensions currently affecting the region underscore the growing importance of enhancing energy security and supply sustainability, and highlight the necessity of continuing to raise the readiness and resilience of the Gulf energy system to handle exceptional circumstances.

He pointed out that the reliability of energy flows depends not only on production capacity, but also on the ability of the entire supply chain—from production, refining, and storage to transportation, infrastructure, and supply chains—to withstand shocks, maintain continuity, and adapt.

He emphasized that safeguarding supply chains, enhancing their readiness, and ensuring the sustainability of flows represent a shared Gulf priority that calls for strengthened coordination and optimal utilization of available capacities among GCC countries, ensuring uninterrupted supplies and bolstering the ability of GCC states to meet their commitments to markets under all circumstances.

Al-Roumi also noted that the GCC countries have established a pivotal position in global energy markets, thanks to their resources, production and refining capacities, infrastructure, investments, and accumulated expertise. He added that preserving and building upon this position requires deepening integration among Gulf energy sectors, coordinating positions on regional and international issues, and translating shared visions into more effective and impactful action plans.

He stressed the importance of moving from coordinating efforts to integrating capabilities, and from aligning visions to launching practical, implementable, and monitorable initiatives that safeguard the interests of GCC countries, enhance their energy security, and cement their status as a reliable and influential partner in global energy system security.

The meeting discussed a number of files related to the future of Gulf cooperation in the energy sector, foremost among them the outcomes of the study on external storage of oil and gas within the proposal to establish Gulf strategic storage zones, the regional emergency plan for petroleum products, energy security, and the just and balanced transition, alongside European cross-border regulations and trade issues related to the energy sector, and the Energy Team’s 2027 action plan.

The meeting also addressed the energy strategy and the energy communications strategy, along with their implementation mechanisms, and a number of programs and initiatives aimed at developing areas of joint Gulf work and keeping pace with the rapid transformations occurring in the energy sector regionally and internationally.

The ministers discussed all agenda items, and the submitted items and recommendations were approved, supporting the implementation and follow-up of joint Gulf action paths in the oil and energy sectors, and enhancing coordination and integration among GCC countries in the coming period.

The Kuwaiti delegation participating in the meeting was headed by Minister Al-Roumi and included Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil Sheikh Dr. Nimer Al-Malki Al-Sabah, Director of Public Relations and Petroleum Media Management Sheikh Tamadur Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Director of Planning and International Relations at the Ministry of Oil Omar Al-Wasmi, and Head of the Chairman of the Board’s Office Affairs Team at Kuwait Petroleum Corporation Nasser Al-Namshan. (End) K.N.A./H.S.S.