Algerian President Affirms Country Will Remain a 'Safe and Reliable' Gas Supplier

Moscow -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Tuesday that the succession of crises has revealed a “remarkable resilience” in the natural gas industry, proving that it is “not a temporary, situational choice but a solid pillar of national economies,” and affirming that his country will remain a “safe and reliable” supplier of gas.

In a speech read on his behalf by Algerian Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane during the opening of the eighth summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow, President Tebboune stated that “the gas industry is now operating in a highly complex environment, pulled between energy security imperatives and climate transition requirements, amid profound regulatory shifts and unprecedented geopolitical realignments.” He emphasized that “formulating energy policies is a sovereign right of every state.”

He pointed out that “volatile legislation fuels market disruptions, stifles investment, and puts supply security at risk,” adding that “injecting billions of dollars into gas infrastructure requires stable regulatory frameworks and fair gas valuation, particularly within the context of long-term contracts.”

The Algerian president called for “constructive dialogue leading to a consensus-based regulatory framework that ensures investment security and directs it toward areas of greatest need.” He affirmed that the desired energy transition can only be just and gradual, excluding no one, and not imposing burdens on developing nations that they did not cause, nor trading their right to development for their right to a healthy environment.

He added that natural gas emerges in this path as a natural partner to renewable energies, ensuring the stability of electrical systems, contributing to emission reductions, and preventing a return to more polluting sources. He stressed that it is not an obstacle to the transition but a safe bridge to it.

Tebboune also clarified that “global energy security rests on an indivisible balance based on predictable demand, guaranteed supplies, and a fair return commensurate with the value of the resource and the scale of investments, thereby ensuring supply sustainability and balancing economic and social development requirements with climate objectives, while respecting the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and varying national capacities.”

He stressed that “there is no way to win this challenge without technology and innovation,” calling on the GECF, through its Research Institute in Gas, to play a “deeper role in disseminating technologies for emission reduction, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and improving energy efficiency, leveraging digitalization and artificial intelligence.”

The eighth GECF summit in Moscow began earlier today with a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who underscored the importance of member states in global energy security, noting that these countries account for about 40 percent of global gas exports and hold approximately 70 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves.

The summit in Moscow coincides with the 25th anniversary of the forum’s establishment, with participation from member and observer states, as well as Turkmenistan and South Africa as guests. The forum comprises 12 member states: Russia, Algeria, Bolivia, Venezuela, Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Libya, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Equatorial Guinea, and the United Arab Emirates. Eight observer states are Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Peru, and Senegal. (End) M.R. / M.A.A.