(Reuters) – OPEC’s new secretary general said that Russia’s membership in OPEC+ is vital for the success of the agreement, Kuwait’s Alrai newspaper reported on Sunday, quoting an exclusive interview with Haitham al-Ghais.

Al-Ghais added that OPEC is not in competition with Russia, which he called “a big main player in the world energy map”, Alrai reported.

(Reporting by Moataz Mohamed and Nayera Abdallah; editing by Philippa Fletcher)