Political dignitaries from East Africa who came to attend the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) recently visited GLC Headquarters in Beijing before and during the Summit to exchange opinions on GCL’s Ethiopia-Djibouti oil and gas project.

Melese Alemu, Ethiopian Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Visits GCL Group

On the afternoon of September 1, ZHU Gongshan, Chairman of GCL Group, had a meeting in Beijing with Melese Alemu, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, who came to China for the FOCAC Beijing Summit. The two sides had exchanges on jointly promoting the natural gas project in Ethiopia.

ZHU Gongshan welcomed the Minister to GCL and thanked him for the support his ministry had offered to GCL’s investment project in Ethiopia. According to Zhu, China and Ethiopia are currently in close cooperation in the energy sector and other areas, and GCL would like to further strengthen the ties between the two sides and lend momentum to bilateral cooperation based on the specific conditions of the natural gas project, so as to establish the project as a model project for the energy cooperation and production capacity cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Melese Alemu gave full recognition to the great contributions that the GCL field team made to the steady progress of the natural gas project in Ethiopia and expressed the hope that the two sides could continue to do their best to push the cooperation forward. He also emphasized that the Ethiopian government was fully aware of the immense significance of the project to the country’s economic and social development and that the gathering of leaders from both countries at the FOCAC Beijing Summit to jointly chart the way towards better cooperation in the future would surely lend momentum to the natural gas project and other similar projects.

Yinager Desse, Governor of National Bank of Ethiopia, Visits GCL Headquarters in Beijing

On the morning of September 2, ZHU Gongshan, Chairman of GCL Group, had a meeting in Beijing with Yinager Desse, Governor of National Bank of Ethiopia. The two sides discussed the progress of GCL’s natural gas project in Ethiopia and had constructive consultation for some detailed matters.

Zhu expressed GCL’s willingness to join hands with National Bank of Ethiopia and other relevant parties to promote cooperation between China and Ethiopia in the energy sector and push the natural gas project forward in all aspects for mutual benefits and shared prosperity.
Yinager Desse said that he was glad to come to GCL in Beijing for the natural gas project in Ethiopia. According to him, the natural gas project is a high-quality energy project that attracts high attention and gathers all forces from around his country. It is important for the livelihood of Ethiopian people and of strategic significance to the county on the whole. GCL Group is a strong and trustworthy partner. Work on the project has been in smooth progress over the past four years. Both parties should strive to maintain the good momentum of the cooperation and push the project steadily forward so that it can be put into operation soon.

Yonis Ali Guedi, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Djibouti, Visits GCL Headquarters in Beijing

On the morning of September 3, Yonis Ali Guedi, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Djibouti, who came to Beijing for the FOCAC Beijing Summit led a delegation to GCL Group’s headquarters in Beijing. CHEN Lei, President of Poly-GCL Petroleum Group Holdings Co., Ltd., received the visiting delegation and gave a report on issues of common concern.

Chen extended warm welcome to the delegation of Djibouti Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and expressed heartfelt gratitude for the Ministry’s strong support for GCL’s investment and business operation in Djibouti over the years. The two parties had in-depth exchanges on the progress of the natural gas project in Djibouti, plans for future strategic cooperation, and some issues encountered.

Yonis Ali Guedi thanked GCL Group sincerely for its investment in and contribution to the energy sector and other relevant fields of Djibouti. He said that GCL’s oil and gas projects and gas-fired power stations in East Asia contributed a great deal to the economic development of Djibouti and the improvement of its people’s livelihood. He expressed the hope that both sides could continue with their efforts so that the projects can be completed and put into operation as soon as possible. The Djibouti government will do all it can to get the project included in the cooperation agreement to be signed between Djibouti and China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. The project has attracted close attention from the governments of both countries.