Brazilian President Lula confirmed in Dubai on Saturday that his country will join OPEC+ to “convince major oil-producing countries” to prepare for a “fossil fuel-free” energy transition, AFP reported.

Brazil’s invitation was announced Thursday at a meeting of OPEC+, an alliance made up of the 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and ten partner countries, including Russia. Joining should take place in January.

“Everyone was scared by the idea of ​​Brazil joining OPEC (…) But Brazil will not join OPEC. Brazil will join OPEC+,” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in Dubai during a round table at COP28, the UN climate conference.

“It’s like when I’m invited to participate in the G7. I go and listen. They speak only after they have made a decision. I am not deciding anything,” added the head of the Brazilian state. Last May, Lula was invited to participate in the G7 summit in Japan.

On Friday, the president of Brazil’s Petrobras, Jean-Paul Prates, said that Brazil should join OPEC+ as an “observer”, ruling out the possibility of his country joining the production quotas set by the organization.

But Lula still plans to play an important role in the energy transition debate. “It’s important to participate in OPEC because we have to convince the major oil producing countries that they have to prepare to stop using fossil fuels,” he said.

Brazil is the largest producer of oil in Latin America, having huge reserves in salted sea deposits.

Crude oil production in September was 3.7 million barrels per day, up nearly 17% from a year earlier and a “record high,” according to data from Argus Group.

Lula is presenting himself at COP28 as a champion of global warming, boasting of a significant reduction in deforestation in the Amazon since he returned to power in January.

But he has also been criticized for an oil exploration project by state-owned Petrobras near the mouth of the Amazon.