The elected secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting States said on Monday that global oil demand should return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022, Al Arabiya news channel reported, according to DPA and Reuters.

Haitham al-Ghais, former OPEC Governor for Kuwait from 2017 to June 2021, will be OPEC Secretary General from August 1, 2022, replacing Nigerian Mohamed Barkindo, whose term expires at the end of July 2022. Ghais mandate will be of at least three years, OPEC said.

Haitham al-Ghais said the OPEC+ group (composed of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other major producers) is important for the stability and balance of the oil market, according to Agerpres.

In Vienna on Tuesday, the group of 23 major oil producers discussed production strategy for the coming months, with analysts saying the decision will be to continue current oil extraction policies, which means increasing production by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) from February.

Increases in OPEC+ oil supply add to the strategic reserves released by the United States in late November and similar measures in China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, totaling about 70 million barrels.

OPEC expects global oil demand to rise by 4.15 million barrels a day in 2022, to 100.8 million bpd, as compared to 2019 levels.