Ecuadorean Oil Minister Carlos Pareja told reporters on Monday that he will travel to Colombia and Mexico in the coming week to discuss a proposed meeting between Latin American oil producers in an effort to unify the region in supporting a freeze in oil output as a means of boosting prices, Reuters reported. The meeting had been originally scheduled for the beginning of March, but was postponed due to scheduling conflicts. Pareja said Ecuador's government was hoping to hold the regional meeting in Quito before OPEC and non-OPEC producers attend their meeting in Doha next month. "Ecuador and Venezuela have already agreed on an output freeze, and if we can reach an understanding with Colombia and Mexico, we could then organize an energy and foreign affairs ministers meeting in Quito on April 8," Pareja said, Argus reported.
The meeting would be the first significant public event that would include non-OPEC members Colombia and Mexico in regional efforts to control oil prices. Ecuador and Venezuela have been pushing for the OPEC and non-OPEC meeting for months as the plunge in oil prices continues to pummel their economies. Venezuela's Energy Ministry had no immediate comment on Ecuador's initiative.
By The Dialogue
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