KUWAIT: The Council of Ministers of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) convened its 109th meeting in Kuwait on Monday under the chairmanship of Syrian Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Bassam Tohme. The ministerial meeting discussed the relationship between the OAPEC's Secretariat and Arab companies affiliated to the organization, as well as the budget of FY 2023, OAPEC Secretary General Ali Sabt ben Sabt said.

The ministers mulled ways to enhance the organization's role in training and coordinate the stances of member countries on climate talks as well as ensuing commitments, ben Sabt, of Kuwait, noted in a press release.

"They reviewed OAPEC's ministerial resolution 107/4 mandating the executive bureau to coordinate with Saudi Arabia regarding the Middle East Green Initiative and the concept of carbon recycling-based economy. They also discussed the preparations for the 12th Arab Energy Conference, due in Qatar late next year, and progress in the development of the databank," ben Sabt revealed. He thanked OAPEC member countries for the limitless support they offer to the secretariat of the organization, expressing hope for more prosperity to the oil industry.

Late Sunday, Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC), a subsidiary of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Aramco Gulf Operations Company to develop the joint Durra gas field. Kuwait's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil Bader Al-Mulla and Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman attended the signing ceremony.

In a press statement, Acting CEO of KGOC Khaled Al-Otaibi said the memo includes procedures to develop the field that are based on implementing the provisions mentioned in the minutes of the ministerial meeting. The MoU aims to reassess and complete engineering studies of the field project as well as form a technical team to carry out the scheme, he added. He indicated that the joint Durra field development program aims to produce one billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and 84,000 barrels of liquefied gas per day.

The signing comes to implement a memo signed on Dec 24, 2019 between the Kuwaiti and Saudi governments, Otaibi said. It is also a culmination of the talks held between the two countries' officials on reaching a deal on a direct mechanism and carrying out and developing the Durra field located in the divided area between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, he added.

Meanwhile, after private oil sector workers announced last week they will hold a peaceful sit-in and called on the prime minister to address their problems, they began their demonstrations on Monday in front of the Kuwait Petroleum Company's headquarters in Shuwaikh. A number of protestors urged HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah to resolve their problems in the private oil sector, as they do not have clear rights. "The activation of the labor law in the oil sector that equates between oil sector employees in both the government and private sectors is among their demands," sources told Kuwait Times. - Agencies