By Teddy Nwanunobi
The Secretary General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Dr. Mohammad Barkindo, has attended the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President, HE Ebrahim Raisi, in Tehran, IR Iran.
Valuechain reports that Raisi won more than 17 million 926 thousand votes (62 per cent of the votes), defeating his three other rivals with a large margin, in the elections held nationwide.
Consequently, he succeeded the previous President, HE Hassan Rouhani as the eighth president of Iran.
The ceremony was attended by a large number of world leaders, dignitaries and senior officials, as well as heads of international organisations.
Yesterday (Wednesday), Raisi had, in a letter addressed to the Secretary General, thanked the Organisation for the efforts it has undertaken to support stability in the global oil market, particularly during the last two years.
The letter was a response to a congratulatory message conveyed by the Secretary General on Raisi’s success in the presidential election.
Barkindo, on arrival, held high-level bilateral meetings.
Earlier, the Secretary General was received by His Eminence Ayatollah Ahmad Jannaty, Secretary of the Constitutional Council and Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, in his office in Tehran, ahead of the inauguration of the new President.
At the meeting, Jannaty expressed his appreciation to the OPEC Scribe on his visit to Tehran to participate in the inauguration ceremony.
He acknowledged with satisfaction the positive role of the Secretary General in helping steer the Organisation through the two turbulent oil cycles since 2016.
Jannaty also reiterated the continued support of the Islamic Republic to the Organisation’s noble objectives to help maintain stability in the global oil market.
The Secretary General also met with his counterpart, the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), HE Yury Sentyurin, on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony.
Both men discussed the ongoing cooperation between the two organisations.
Valuechain reports that IR Iran is a founder member of OPEC.
The Islamic Republic has also played an instrumental role throughout the consultation and implementation phases of the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) between OPEC and non-OPEC oil producing countries.
The Secretary General was accompanied by an OPEC Secretariat delegation.