Beirut- Syrian capital Damascus will host the Arab energy conference in 2024 after all members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) agreed, a statement by the Oil and Mineral Resources ministry said on Thursday.

The decision was agreed to during a virtual meeting of oil ministers from the member countries hosted by Kuwait.

The meeting agreed that Syria will host the meeting in 2024 after Qatar in 2023 and that Syria will chair the council of Arab oil ministers for a year starting 2022 to succeed current chair Saudi Arabia.

OAPEC comprises Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

(Reporting by Lilian Wagdy; editing by Jason Neely)