President Muhammadu Buhari will on Sunday depart Abuja for Tehran, the Iranian capital, for a meeting of gas exporting countries.

According to a statement issued on Friday by Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Buhari will be accompanied to the third Gas Exporting Countries’ Forum, GECF, by minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno, a retired Major General.

“President Buhari and the leaders of Iran, Russia, Qatar, the Netherlands, Venezuela, Oman, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Bolivia and other member-countries of the GECF are expected to review the current market outlook on gas and discuss strategies for boosting gas production during their meeting in Tehran,” the statement said.

Nigeria and other GECF members currently account for 42 percent of global gas production‎, 70 percent of global gas reserves, 40 percent of pipeline transmission of gas and 65 percent of the global trade in Liquefied Natural Gas.

Garba added that the President will hold bilateral talks with other participants at the forum, meet with Nigerians living in Iran before returning to Nigeria on Tuesday.