The eighth summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum will be held in Russia in the fall of 2026.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Decree No. 745 dated 10/15/2025 "On the Organizing Committee for the Preparation and holding in the Russian Federation of the eighth summit of Heads of State and Government of the participating countries of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum." The document is published on the official Internet portal of legal information. The event will take place in autumn 2026 in Moscow. The main objectives of the Forum will be to promote the use of natural gas in the global economy, analyze the current state and forecast the development of gas markets, exchange experience and promote technological cooperation between the participating countries.

In order to ensure coordination of the activities and interaction of federal executive authorities, executive bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, local governments and organizations involved in the preparation and holding of the summit, as well as to solve other related tasks, an Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of the event has been formed. Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, was appointed Chairman of the Organizing Committee.

"The share of the participating countries of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in the global gas industry is steadily growing. Today, they provide more than 70% of the world's natural gas reserves and about 45% of its production. The holding of the Eighth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Russia will be an important step in strengthening energy cooperation between the leading gas producing countries. I am confident that holding this major event in our country in 2026 will contribute to supporting the aspirations of non–Western countries for a more just world order and demonstrate the sustainability of Russian influence in the global energy sector," said Alexander Novak.

In 2013, Moscow hosted the Second Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the participating countries of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. As a result, a Joint Declaration was adopted, which reflected the principled approaches of the GECF member countries on priority issues of gas market development.

"The special significance of the Eighth Summit lies in the fact that it will be held against the backdrop of growing global energy demand, especially for natural gas. The key drivers of this growth in the coming years will be the replacement of coal-fired generation in the Asia-Pacific region and industry, including gas chemistry, as well as the growing demand for data centers. In general, growth will occur mainly at the expense of the developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region, which will be offset by falling demand in developed economies, primarily in Europe. Given these trends, the holding of the GECF summit in Russia is of particular importance. By gathering on one platform, the heads of state will be able to reach agreements necessary for the further development of the industry for the benefit of their countries and peoples," said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

The Gas Exporting Countries Forum is an international intergovernmental organization. The Agreement on the functioning of the GECF entered into force on September 30, 2009. The full members of the GECF are: Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Russia has been a full member of the GECF since 2009. Since 2011, summits of heads of State and Government of the Forum's member countries have been convened every two years.

The seventh summit of the Forum was held in Algeria on March 2, 2024, with the participation of Nikolai Shulginov, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, and Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom.