Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar patronized on Tuesday morning the opening of the First Summit of Gas Exporting Countries at the Doha Sheraton Hotel. In an inaugural address, Sheikh Hamad said that the fossil fuel still represents the largest share of the total energy-mix consumed globally. "This situation will probably continue for the foreseeable future. Hence, the increasing challenges facing this industry are not confined only to meeting the growing demand for energy but they extend to include the environmental, social and economic aspects in both the exporting and importing countries, due to the growing integration of energy with these aspects and their mutual impact on each other," he added. "These renewable and escalating challenges urge us to look for a variety of innovative solutions which are economically viable in a way that guarantees the interests of consumers and producers together," the Emir noted. He expressed optimism that the participants of this summit would provide valuable insights to enrich this meeting by discussing relevant topics and proposing ways of strengthening the status of the gas industry. The Emir hoped that this summit would be a good opportunity to explore further cooperation and coordination prospects between member states in order to upgrade gas industry, according to a report of the Qatari News Agency "QNA".