Haitham al-Ghais, secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), signaled this week that the producers’ group is actively open to new members.
He said he is actively trying to expand the group. On requirements to become an OPEC member:
- “They have to be a net exporter, substantial, they have to have similar goals as OPEC. This is all mentioned very clearly in our statute. And I think many countries that I just named actually fit this profile. So … work in progress.”
- “I was in Malaysia, I was in Brunei,” he said, stressing that he had not necessarily invited these countries to join the organization. “I was in Azerbaijan, I was in Mexico.”
OPEC+ includes Russia