Angola to Assume OPEC Rotational Presidency in January 2009
Luanda 9/12/08 – The Republic of Angola will chair the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as from January 2009, following Thursday's nomination of its Oil minister, Desidério Costa.
The appointment happened during the organisation's ministerial meeting, which ended on Wednesday at dawn, at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
Ecuador’s minister of Mining and Energy, Galo Chiriboga, will be the vice president of the organisation.
In an interview to ANGOP, Desidério Costa said that “this is an announcement that helps to politically and economically plan our country and this is what we intend: establishing Angola in its right place”.
The minister highlighted the fact that the news arrived at a very special moment for Angola, after the holding of the legislative elections, on September 05.
Angola became a full member of OPEC during the institution's 43rd Extraordinary Conference, which took place in Abuja, Nigeria.
Five percent of USA's petroleum imports (496,000 barrels per day) come from Angola and, in the first quarter of 2008 this Southern African country was the main oil supplier to China, overcoming Saudi Arabia, due to a 55-percent increase of its exportations to the Asian country.