
Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has disclosed that it will be commemorating its Diamond Anniversary in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday, 16th June 2023.
The Organization made this known in a statement that was released on Wednesday, where it said that the celebration was originally scheduled to hold in September 2020 at the Al-Shaab Hall in the Bab Al-Muaatham, which is the site of OPEC’s founding. It was, however, postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts on health and travel.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs, who is also the Minister of Oil in Iraq, His Excellency (HE) Hayan Abdulghani Abdulzahra Alsawad, said that Iraq, as a country, is proud to be hosting this historic celebration.
In his own words, “We look forward to welcoming all OPEC Member Countries and our partners in the Declaration of Cooperation to the highly anticipated event in Baghdad. It is time for the Organization to celebrate all the accomplishments it has achieved throughout the last six decades and more.”
The Secretary-General of OPEC, HE Haitham Al Ghais, expressed that the celebration will provide the entire OPEC Family with an opportunity to reflect on its exceptional history and celebrate its successes, as well as renew commitments to the key principles that have underpinned the Organization’s work since its foundation. “Remembering our past can serve as an inspiration for achieving a bright and successful future,” he concluded.
According to the statement, Iraq and the city of Baghdad, alongside the OPEC Secretariat, have developed a full programme of festivities, including various cultural activities. The Government of Iraq has additionally renovated the Al-Shaab Hall in preparation for the celebration.
OPEC is an intergovernmental Organization that was established at the historic Baghdad Conference, which was held on the 10th – 14th of September in 1960. Its membership has since then, grown to 13 oil-producing Countries.