The organization founded in 1968 by Arab oil-producing countries was OAPEC, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Kuwait, Libya, and Saudi Arabia established OAPEC on January 9, 1968, at a conference in Beirut, Lebanon. Its original purpose was to coordinate petroleum policy and protect the economic interests of Arab oil exporters while keeping oil production and sales distinct from wider political disputes.
OAPEC is often confused with OPEC, the broader Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC was founded in 1960 and is not limited to Arab states; several OPEC members, including Iran, Venezuela, and Nigeria, are not Arab countries. OAPEC and OPEC are separate organizations, although some countries belong to both.
The 1973 oil crisis greatly increased OAPEC’s international prominence. Egypt and Syria joined before that crisis, and the organization later expanded beyond its three founding members. Its headquarters are in Kuwait, where it continues coordinating cooperation among Arab petroleum-producing states.