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Draft Concept of Energy Charter Conference

Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan

According to Turkmenistan national new agency draft concept of energy charter conference has been presented by the government of Turkmenistan which is the extension of its national energy policy. One of the main salient features of Turkmenistan’s national energy policy is regional cooperation and liaison with international organizations for achieving greater energy security, sustainably and efficiency. It is blessed with unlimited energy reservoirs which it plans to utilize for the greater regional prosperity, peace and development.

Turkmenistan is current “Chairman of the Energy Charter Conference” to be held in 2017. It is hoped that its contributory chairmanship at the Energy Charter Conference in 2017 will further strengthen the pace of development of effective long-term models for international cooperation in the energy sector, based on a balance of interests of all parties involved. Turkmenistan was unanimously elected Chairman of the Energy Charter Conference for 2017, at a meeting of the Conference held in Tokyo on 25-26 November 2016.

It clearly shows Turkmenistan’s liaison with international organizations in different field’s mainly sustainable development, sustainable transport system, and millennium development goals. Turkmenistan has achieved recognition of a reliable international partner at international level because of its progressive foreign policy of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, which main aspect is international energy cooperation. It reaffirms that energy diplomacy of Turkmenistan is successful which was always distinguished by active position and interest in search for new and efficient solutions, finds broad response among the representatives of the world business and expert community.

Chairman Turkmenistan has unique concept for Energy Charter Conference which emphases on the further enlargement of geography and multi-dimensional energy flows/supplies ensuring their consistency and security of the international transit of energy on an equal and fair basis which is the need of the hour to maintain price stability at regional as well as international energy markets. It includes energy proficiency/optimal utility, and saving, introduction and implementation of modern and smarter technologies, the ecological balancing and the use of renewable sources of energy (solar, wind, thermal), beneficial energy investments, friendly government policies for the development of renewables and principles of economic and commercial viability of investments in the energy sector, their protection and efficiency. The drafted concept also focuses on international transit of energy on equal and fair basis and improvement of efficiency of capital investments and their protection in the regional as well as international energy policies, programs and markets.

Moreover, key topics, findings and recommendations concerning international cooperation on sustainable energy will be summarized and presented in the final document of the 28th session of the Energy Charter Conference. For its international media projection a program of international events will be held in Ashgabat, Brussels, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tehran. The Belgian capital will host ten internal organizational meetings of the Energy Charter Secretariat. It will be comprehensive exercise/program which will provide and arrange media forums, conferences, meetings with representatives of the media and special training seminars in Turkmenistan and abroad. Subject materials, information from events held in Ashgabat and other cities of the world on international energy is planned to be published on a special website.

Being a leading energy rich country, Turkmenistan actively cooperates with major international organizations, including the Energy Charter, and is the venue for multilateral meetings and forums. In December 2014, the Ashgabat in conjunction with this specialized structure arranged the Ashgabat Forum “Reliable and stable transit of energy resources”, as well as in accordance with the resolutions adopted at the “67th session of the UN General Assembly” held the first international meeting of experts on the said topic. During this interactive forum, specialized experts meetings were organized in 2015 in Brussels and Beijing, and in 2016 in Tirana.

H.E. President of Turkmenistan put forward the proposal for the establishment of an international legal mechanism to ensure energy security in 2007, at the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly. Special resolutions on reliable and stable transit of energy resources to global markets were adopted by UN in 2008 and 2013, which set out the basic principles and approaches to cooperation in this field.

The Resolution of President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has approved the Activity Plan on Turkmenistan’s chairmanship in the Energy Charter Conference for 2017. The Plan provides for variety of activities, to be held in Turkmenistan and abroad.

Turkmenistan is one of the founders of the Energy Charter and chairing of Turkmenistan is aimed at development and consolidation of international energy cooperation, establishment of quality new ground for discussion of topical issues of the development of the world energy, provision of the global energy security as integral part of universal sustainable development in the context of practical realization of relative Resolution, which was initiated by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and adopted by the UN General Assembly.

Chairmanship of Turkmenistan at energy charter conference pledges its enormous natural resources for the welfare of humanity, realizing the policy based on the principles of combined modernization of fuel and energy complex and diversification of energy supplies to the world markets.

Turkmenistan considerably increased production rates of fuel and energy resources. Moreover, transport routes of energy have been diversified. Moreover, the role of Turkmenistan in supply of energy to the world market grows and determines the level of its geopolitical influence. It has also adopted policy of “diversification of transport infrastructure”, which enables to supply energy resources via ramified network of multiple-choice pipeline system. Thanks to energy policies of Turkmenistan which stipulates integrated development of energy cooperation not only between the countries suppliers, transit and consumer countries but interested parties and international organizations including the UN and the Energy Charter as well.

The Energy Charter Conference is an inter-governmental organization. It is the governing and decision-making body for the Energy Charter process. It was established by the 1994 Energy Charter Treaty. The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is an international agreement which establishes a multilateral framework for cross-border cooperation in the energy industry. The treaty covers all aspects of commercial energy activities including trade, transit, investments and energy efficiency.

All states or Regional Economic International Organisations which have signed or acceded to the Treaty are members of the Conference. The member countries meet on a regular basis to discuss issues affecting energy cooperation among the Treaty’s signatories, to review the implementation of the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty and the Protocol on Energy Efficiency and Related Environmental Aspects, and to consider possible new instruments and joint activities within the Energy Charter framework.

Concluding Remarks

Under the visionary leadership of the President of Turkmenistan, it is progressively promoting cooperation with the major international organizations and hosted many interactive multilateral events and seminars which highlighted the importance of energy cooperation. It is hoped that being Chairman of the Energy Charter Conference, Turkmenistan would give additional impulse to mutually beneficial cooperation and would promote establishment of global dialog in energy security. It would achieve set targets in consolidation of the efforts aimed at development of new approaches to the issues of energy security and sustainable development in general. It would further consolidate Turkmenistan’s role in energy cooperation. It would also establish stable structure of the global energy security, which is built on the principles of justice, balance of interests of both supplying countries and transit countries and consumers.

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