See what "OPEC" is in other dictionaries. What does opec mean: the concept and decoding of the abbreviation opec Full list - opec countries on the map and capitals

The abbreviation OPEC stands for "Association of Petroleum Exporting Countries". The main goal of the organization was to regulate the prices of black gold on the world market. The need for such an organization was obvious.

In the middle of the 20th century, oil prices began to fall due to a glut of the market. The Middle East sold the most oil. It was there that the richest deposits of black gold were discovered.

In order to pursue a policy to keep oil prices on a global scale, it was necessary to force the oil-producing countries to reduce the rate of its production. This was the only way to remove excess hydrocarbons from the world market and raise prices. To solve this problem, OPEC was created.

List of countries that are members of OPEC

Today, 14 countries participate in the work of the organization. Twice a year, consultations between representatives of the organization are held at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna. At such meetings, decisions are made to increase or decrease the oil production quotas of individual countries or the entire OPEC.

Venezuela is considered the founder of OPEC, although this country is not a leader in oil production. The palm in terms of volume belongs to Saudi Arabia followed by Iran and Iraq.

All in all, OPEC controls about half of the world's black gold exports. In almost all member countries of the organization, the oil industry is the leading one in the economy. Therefore, the decline in world oil prices causes swipe income of OPEC members.

List of African countries that are members of OPEC

Of the 54 African states, only 6 are members of OPEC:

• Gabon;
• Equatorial Guinea;
• Angola;
• Libya;
• Nigeria;
• Algeria.

Most of the "African" members of OPEC joined the organization in 1960-1970. At that time, many African states liberated themselves from colonial rule. European countries and gained independence. The economy of these countries was focused mainly on the extraction of minerals and their subsequent export abroad.

African countries are characterized by a high population, but also a high percentage of poverty. To cover the costs of social programs, the governments of these countries are forced to extract a lot of crude oil.

In order to withstand competition from European and American oil-producing transnational corporations, African countries joined OPEC.

Asian countries that are members of OPEC

Political instability in the Middle East predetermined the entry of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The Asian member countries of the organization are characterized by low population density and huge foreign investment.

Oil revenues are so huge that Iran and Iraq paid for their military expenses in the 1980s by selling oil. Moreover, these countries fought against each other.

Today, political instability in the Middle East threatens not only the region itself, but also threatens world oil prices. In Iraq and Libya Civil War. The lifting of sanctions against Iran threatens to increase oil production in this country, despite the obvious excess of the OPEC quota for oil production.

Latin American countries that are members of OPEC

Only two countries Latin America OPEC members are Venezuela and Ecuador. Despite the fact that Venezuela is the initiator of the founding of OPEC, the state itself is politically unstable.

Recently (in 2017), a wave of anti-government protests swept through Venezuela related to the ill-conceived economic policy of the government. Behind Lately The country's public debt has grown significantly. For some time the country kept afloat due to high oil prices. But as prices plummeted, so did the Venezuelan economy.

Non-OPEC Oil Exporting Countries

Recently, OPEC has lost the levers of pressure on its members. This situation is largely due to the fact that several oil-importing countries that are not members of OPEC have appeared on the world market.

First of all it is:

• Russia;
• China;

Despite the fact that Russia is not a member of OPEC, it is a permanent observer in the organization. The increase in oil production by non-OPEC countries leads to a decrease in the cost of oil on the world market.

However, OPEC cannot influence them, since even the members of the organization do not always comply with the agreements and exceed the allowable quotas.

Many companies and specialist representatives from OPEC countries come to the rather large Neftegaz exhibition held in Moscow.

Russians rarely pay attention to headlines like "OPEC agreement", "shale revolution" or "sanctions against Iran", considering them boring and uninteresting. Meanwhile, oil trade is one of the main sources of income for the Russian state budget, and it is the OPEC countries that determine the rules of the game in the global energy market. The influence of this organization on world economy huge, although now she is facing some difficulties.

Despite the frequent use of this designation, most of our citizens do not know how OPEC stands for, what this organization does, and who are its members.

Since its founding, OPEC has been the target of constant criticism. Among the main claims are cartel collusion and inflated oil prices. Moreover, they come not only from ordinary market participants or industry experts, but also from “ the mighty of the world this." For example, accusations against OPEC regularly appear on US President Donald Trump's Twitter - he calls on the alliance to lower prices. Moreover, the Americans are developing the NOPEC anti-cartel law, which will allow them to sue the organization. However, the prospects for its adoption look very vague.

IN last years the OPEC organization is losing its former power, and the reason for this is the American "shale revolution" and the constant strife between the members of the alliance. They even talked about the possible collapse of OPEC or its significant reformatting. Since 2016, Russia has been actively cooperating with the organization, coordinating restrictions on oil production. This situational union allowed to significantly increase the price of "black gold". One way or another, changes in the organization are inevitable, because we live in an era of transformation of the global energy market. Before talking about current problems, one should explain what OPEC is, what its goals and objectives are, and also say a few words about the history of the alliance.

What is OPEC and what is its share in oil production

Oil is the most important energy resource of mankind. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries - this is the decoding of the abbreviation OPEC - was created to regulate the production of "black gold" and ensure the stability of supplies. The Alliance was founded in September 1960. The headquarters of OPEC is located in Vienna.

Today, the organization includes fourteen states - in January 2019, Qatar left it. ORES is led by Mohammed Barkindo, who was appointed Secretary General in August 2016. The official website of the alliance is opec.org, the emblem is a blue field with a stylized name of the organization.

What countries are in OPEC? If you look at the world map, it is easy to see that the members of the alliance are in Africa, Asia and South America. There is not a single Western state in the composition.

Here is a list of OPEC countries:

• Angola;
• Venezuela;
• Saudi Arabia,
• Algeria;
• Gabon,
• Iran;
• Iraq;
• Kuwait;
• Congo;
• Libya;
• Nigeria;
• Equatorial Guinea;
• Ecuador.

Today, the alliance controls about two-thirds of the total oil reserves. OPEC accounts for more than a third of its production and about half of global exports. To date, proven oil reserves amount to 1,199.71 billion barrels. In June 2016, OPEC's total production reached 32.643 million barrels per day. The largest supplier of raw materials is Saudi Arabia: it accounts for 10.308 million barrels per day.

The Alliance has a huge political influence, although it was originally created as an international trade association, which is clearly spelled out in its Charter.

The goals of the organization and its structure

The main goals declared by OPEC are the coordination of oil production and the development of a unified policy in this area.

This allows members of the organization to provide:

• Stability of supplies of raw materials to consumers;
• Predictability of oil prices;
• Getting profit from investments in the oil industry.

In practice, this happens as follows: twice a year, relevant ministers meet in Vienna to discuss the current market situation. Based on the assessments and forecasts made, decisions are made regarding production volumes. Moreover, they can be both reduced and increased. After that, the most exciting moment comes - new quotas are set for each member of the organization.

Decisions on oil production volumes are made at OPEC Conferences, held twice a year. In the structure of the alliance, they are considered the highest governing body responsible for making the most important decisions. The conferences approve budgets, report on their implementation, accept new members, appoint a secretary and his deputies.

Alliance has executive agency- Board of Governors. He prepares the agenda of meetings, draft budgets. It employs dozens of people, divided into several departments.

How and why OPEC was created

OPEC appeared in the difficult post-war period, when the foundations of the modern world order were being laid. The colonial system was collapsing, the sources of strategic raw materials slipped from the tenacious hands of global corporations and passed under the control of national governments.

In those years, oil production was controlled by several largest companies, they were called so - "Seven Sisters": Shell, Exxon, Texas, Mobil, Chevron, British Petroleum and Gulf Oil. They formed a cartel, but they acted in the interests of the largest consumers of energy resources - they kept prices low. It is clear that such a policy did not suit the countries where oil was produced at all.

Awareness of the need to protect their own economic interests arose in the Middle East long before the formation of the alliance. In 1953, an agreement was signed between the Iraqis and the Saudis to coordinate the production and sale of oil. The last "drop" that broke the patience of the oil-producing states was another reduction in purchase prices by the "Seven Sisters".

In 1959, a meeting of the League of Arab States was held - its main topic was "oil" issues. Venezuela was invited to the event and put forward the initiative to form OPEC. In September 1960, it was announced the creation of an organization that would represent the interests of oil exporters. It consists of five states: Venezuela, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq. In 1961, at the second conference, which was held in Caracas, the charter of the alliance was approved.

In 1962, the newly created organization officially registered with the UN. In 1968, the framework declaration of the alliance was approved, which emphasized the right independent states manage independently natural resources located on their territory.

In this decade, new members joined the organization: Algeria, Libya, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates.

IN given period attitude towards OPEC can be called ambiguous. The collective West took a wary, even hostile position, because the alliance was taking under its control the most important strategic resource, which was previously undividedly controlled by American and European companies. In the Soviet Union, the creation of the organization was initially welcomed: it completely fit into the communist paradigm of the struggle of the oppressed peoples against Western imperialism.

At one time, Moscow even thought of joining OPEC, especially since it already included Algeria, Libya and Iraq, which were considered friends of the USSR. However, it soon became clear that the Charter of the organization required freedom of investment in the oil industry, which was unacceptable for the closed Soviet economy.

70s and 80s: OPEC at its peak

In the 1970s, the influence of OPEC on the global economy increased significantly: it was already able to regulate global prices for crude oil. The organization became more numerous - Nigeria, Ecuador and Gabon joined it.

The power of the alliance was clearly demonstrated during the embargo on crude oil, which led to an acute energy crisis in the US and Europe. So Arab countries decided to punish Israel's allies after the Yom Kippur War. A sharp jump in prices showed a critical dependence developed countries from the cost of energy.

These events had serious and far-reaching consequences. For the first time, they forced the West to think seriously about its energy security. The United States created the Strategic Oil Reserve, and similar reserves appeared in many other countries. Energy-saving technologies began to be introduced around the world.

Thanks to the Arab embargo, the USSR was able to significantly strengthen its position in the world energy market: oil exports to the West from the recently discovered Siberian fields increased significantly. This, as well as a multiple increase in the cost of “black gold”, ensured a “period of stagnation” - an era that many of our fellow citizens still remember with nostalgia.

In the early 80s, prices reached their maximum, after which they rapidly went down: in the middle of the decade, one barrel cost about ten bucks. At the same time, the alliance's share in world production and revenue from the sale of raw materials collapsed. The organization managed to level the situation by introducing quotas for its members, as well as changing the pricing mechanism - the so-called OPEC basket appeared.

The end of the past and the beginning of the present millennium

The 1990s were a period of predominantly low prices for oil. This was the result of some slowdown in the global economy and several crises in the Asian region. At this time, for the first time, the topic of climate change appeared on the global agenda, due to carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

The cost of "black gold" began to rise around 2004, which was facilitated by several factors at once. The Americans started another war in the Middle East, the Chinese economy grew rapidly, requiring more and more energy, and financial and stock speculation began to have a significant impact on the cost of energy. By 2008, the price of one barrel exceeded one hundred dollars, but the crisis that happened brought it down to the lowest levels. Angola joined the alliance in 2007.

At the end of the 2000s, the “shale revolution” began in the United States, which led to the appearance on the market of new, very significant volumes of raw materials. And if in 2007 the Americans produced 2.3 million barrels of shale oil per day, then last year its number increased to 6.2 million barrels.

In 2014, the OPEC states failed to agree on a reduction in production quotas, which led to a catastrophic drop in prices - to $ 26. In 2016, the Saudis were able to reach a record level of 10.67 million barrels per day. A consensus was reached only by the beginning of 2017, which allowed prices to return to the $50-60 corridor.

Cooperation between OPEC and Russia

In 1998, our country became an observer in OPEC. Since that time, Russian relevant ministers have been meeting with their colleagues from the alliance and taking part in its conferences. In 2015, Russia received an offer to join the organization, but it was rejected.

Since 2016, the OPEC+ formula has been in effect, according to which Russia, together with the alliance, coordinates the amount of oil produced. At the end of last year, after a long and bitter debate, a decision was made to reduce overall production by 1.2 barrels per day, of which our country accounted for 228,000 barrels.

It can be confidently stated that today OPEC alone will not be able to raise and lower prices, as in the "good old days". For a significant change in the market situation, Russia's participation is necessary.

Problems of the organization and possible ways to solve them

Now the main problem OPEC - a significant increase in oil production in countries that are not members of the alliance. The most serious challenge, of course, is the growth in the production of American shale oil, but other countries are also confidently increasing volumes. All this has led to an oversupply in the market, which drives prices down. OPEC can no longer act as before: each time reducing production, the countries included in the alliance, in fact, give a piece of the market to American "shale" and other producers.

Another problem is the contradictions within the alliance itself. The countries of the Middle East have relatively small populations and huge low-cost oil reserves. Therefore, they can easily reduce production volumes. States such as Venezuela, Angola, Nigeria have huge social problems, which forces them to fight for every barrel of quota. Most likely, due to the rapid growth of renewable energy, oil consumption will begin to decline in the coming years, which will further reduce OPEC's market share. Therefore, many industry experts believe that OPEC will not be able to pursue a coordinated policy in the field of oil production, and the organization is expected to collapse.

In addition, it is difficult to trace how conscientiously OPEC members fulfill their obligations. Exceeding quotas is a perennial problem of the organization. Another constant "disaster" of OPEC is the political and social instability in the countries of the alliance. Today, conflicts are raging in Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, and are seriously “storming” Venezuela.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

OPEC countries and their capitals on the map (list 15) → members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Below is a table of OPEC member countries + map, capital, alphabetical list, flags and continents, in English and Russian

See on the diagram with whom they are neighbors and places nearby, where the nearest city on the border is located. List the names of the continents and parts of the world surrounding the seas and oceans. Find out the number of letters in the name and what it starts with, who is a member of the association of oil exporters from their continent

What is OPEC? international organization oil exporting countries

Goals: coordination of activities and control of oil production volumes, stabilization of the oil products market and oil prices. To do this, the countries included in the cartel meet 2 times a year at OPEC conferences. Russia has been an observer in the OPEC system since 1998. The headquarters of the organization is Vienna, Austria. The next meeting will take place on December 5, 2018.

Full composition - which countries are members of OPEC + capital:

1. Algiers, Algiers
2. Angola, Luanda
3. Venezuela, Caracas
4. Gabon, Libreville
5. Iran, Tehran
6. Iraq, Baghdad
7. Congo, Brazzaville
8. Kuwait City, Kuwait City
9. Qatar, Doha
10. Libya, Tripoli
11. United United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
12. Nigeria, Abuja
13. Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
14. Equatorial Guinea, Malabo
15. Ecuador, Quito

All members of the OPEC conference in English:

Full list - OPEC countries on the map and capitals

The table is alphabetical, it contains all the world's largest oil exporters, which are located on three continents of the earth - Asia, South America, Africa. Conference participants by continent:

According to the list, a group of fifteen participating states international conference in Austria, Europe. Also presented interactive map their location in the world

Now you know which countries are part of the OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, you can list and show them on the world map 2020

Today, OPEC members are 12 countries: Algeria, Angola, Venezuela, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador

However, Russia, Oman, the USA, Mexico, Norway, Great Britain, Brunei, Oman are far from the last states in terms of mining, but they are not included in OPEC.

• headquartersOPEC located in the capital of Austria.
• supreme bodyOPEC is a summit of member states that meet every two years.
• OPEC determines the average oil price based on the cost 12 varieties that are harvested in the participating states. In another way, it is also called " OPEC basket".
• OPEC quotas is the restriction and regulation of the export and production of oil for various states organizations.

Recent Notable Events

VIENNA, June 23 - RIA Novosti. The OPEC+ countries at a ministerial meeting on Saturday announced their intention to increase oil production from July, having come to a total completion of the deal by 100%, but did not disclose who and by how much will increase it.

In recent months, almost all OPEC+ countries have broadly followed the terms of the Vienna deal, but a few countries have exceeded it, while reducing their production so rapidly that, instead of the agreed level of 1.8 million barrels per day, the reduction reached about 2.8 million barrels per day. Thus, the Minister of oil of Oman, Mohammed al-Rumkhi, told reporters that in May the OPEC + countries complied with the Vienna agreement to reduce oil production by 147%.

Against this background, the price of oil began to grow rather rapidly, which began to threaten the balance in the market and stimulate the possible production of shale oil in the United States, and oil exporting countries are not interested in this. Now the OPEC+ member countries have decided to gradually loosen the terms of their deal, increasing production growth.

Ready to ramp up production

Apparently, the lion's share of the increase in production, which will begin in July, will be taken by Russia and Saudi Arabia. Wherein Russian minister Alexander Novak specified that eight to ten of the 24 participants in the deal have a real opportunity to increase production within the framework of OPEC+. It is planned that Russia will increase production by 200 thousand barrels per day from 1 million barrels, that is, it will take on 20% of the total increase.

The representative of Saudi Arabia - which was the mastermind behind the increase in production along with Russia - also said it was ready to increase production, but did not give specific figures.

"Saudi Arabia is ready to provide the volumes required by the market. But we will do this, respecting common goals and allowing producers (other OPEC+ countries) to also contribute to the extent that they can," said Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih.

At the same time, the Minister of Oil and Gas of Oman, Mohammed Hamad al-Rumkhi, stressed that, in addition to Russia and Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait also have the opportunity to increase production to fulfill the OPEC + agreement. Oman itself can increase production by several thousand barrels per day.

Deputy Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Magzum Myrzagaliev said that his country also wants to increase production. “Increasing oil production in general is in our interests ... Today, our production varies between 1.7-1.8 million barrels per different months. Therefore, if the quota (to increase oil production) were at the level of 100,000 barrels, it would suit us," he told reporters.

A real increase in production can be technically carried out in a short time. For example, Russia will be able to increase its production by 200 thousand barrels per day in less than a month.

Battle for quotas

Meanwhile, a representative of the Presidium of the Iranian Parliament, Behruz Nemati, told RIA Novosti that at the OPEC meeting an agreement was reached that no country could increase its production at the expense of another without its consent.

“For example, Qatar wanted to produce more. It is necessary that this be within the quota of another country, for example Venezuela, and that the two countries agree on this issue, and with the consent of Venezuela, Qatar has the opportunity to produce more,” Namati said.

Iran, Iraq, Venezuela and Algeria were initially opposed to increasing production under the deal. As a result, the question of whether OPEC+ production will be increased at the expense of these countries remains unclear. They themselves hardly have the opportunity to increase their production, but they are in no hurry to share their quota.

“According to the agreement, we will meet the 100% production level approved in November 2016 and a commitment to reach the level of 1.972 million barrels per day by the second quarter of 2018. No country, according to our agreement, can take over the production volume another country," Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo tweeted.

The future of the deal

However, the OPEC+ countries have left room for revision of these, not entirely clear agreements: at the meeting of the ministerial monitoring committee in September, opportunities for both further increases under the deal and for production cuts can be considered.

In addition, the meeting in September will consider the continuation of cooperation between the OPEC+ countries after 2018.

"We initiated a discussion on a draft document, according to which we plan to implement our cooperation after the end of 2018 for a longer term. A draft of the corresponding concept of cooperation was presented," Novak said.