Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), revealed the organization’s aspirations to increase the number of member states, as four countries –Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Brunei and Mexico have been consulted so far to join.

In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), on the sidelines of the 8th OPEC International Seminar which kicked off today in Vienna, Al Ghais said consultations with new countries from outside the organization contribute to strengthening the cohesion of OPEC.

This, he said, indicates that the organization does not aim to join a certain number of countries, but targeting countries that have the same strategic objectives of preserving and stabilizing oil markets.

Al Ghais said the four countries that were consulted have been in solidarity with the organization since 2017, adding that “they have gone through qualitative challenges during the collapse of the markets and the pandemic in 2020, and therefore all of these countries have the common goal that is in the interest of stabilizing the oil markets.” (PNA)