Dear Participants of the Forum!
Dear guests!
Ladies and gentlemen!
Being an active participant of the international relations system, independent and neutral Turkmenistan makes a worthy contribution to the development of the global energycooperation. Our country consistently offers vital international initiatives pertaining to the actual issues of contemporary times. As an adherent of bilateral and multilateral formats of cooperation in the sphere of energy, our neutral state takes active positionon different levels in the constructive resolution of issues for stable progress of the humankind, particularly in the framework of international organizations.
Turkmenistan carries out the necessary work for realizing important initiatives oriented on the development of broad international cooperation, addressing vital needs of all the countries and people. Today’s reputable high level Forum presents a vivid example of that. The Energy Charter Forum on “Reliable and stable transit of energy carriers” is organized together with the Secretariat of this organization.
Dear Secretary-General of the Energy Charter!
Dear Heads of delegations!
Dear participants of the Forum!
We are glad to welcome our guests, participants of the Ashgabat Forum of the Energy Charter! I would like to express to you our sincere gratitude for accepting the invitation and coming to our country to take part in this event! We consider hosting such a reputable Forum as a sign of great respect to our neutral Motherland and as a strive to the joint discussion and search of constructive resolution of issues having primary importance in the destinies of the planet.
Wide and focused cooperation in the energy sphere is a vital factor in stable and progressive flow of world development in the 21st century. What are the perspectives, on which principles will be the modern design of the energy environment built, its security and stability – all of this will determine the general vector of global development in the long term. It is obvious that the perception of the world energy market as an area of rivalry and struggle for influence should be left in the past. Such an approach does not coincide with the current geopolitical, economic and social realities, criteria of postindustrial technological establishment.
Today on the agenda is the development of the essentially new models, aimed at turning global energy dialogue into a moving power of world expansion based on the balanced interests of all the participants, responsible and careful approach to natural resources, ecology, concern for wide public needs, oriented at a fair distribution of benefits brought by the energy sources and their use.
The priority goal today is providing all-encompassing, inclusive and undivided energy security. It should embrace the production sphere of the energy carriers as well as their transportation and final use. Such an extensive approach lies in the roots of the energy policy of our state, determining the content and orientation of our proposals and practical actions in this sphere.
Being one of the major world producers of the hydrocarbon resources, our country consistently stands for establishing a wide international dialogue dedicated to the issues of energy security.
The initiatives developed by Turkmenistan on the guarantees of reliability and protection of energy carriers supplies to the world markets find greater appreciation in the world. The proof of that became the unanimous support of the United Nations General Assembly shown to the Turkmen projects in Resolutions of 2008 and 2013, co-authored by more than 70 countries of the world.
The process of forming international expert group on the development of international legal document of the United Nations, aimed at ensuring adherence to the general principles of carrying out the actions on the global energy arena has reached its practical stage. The first meeting of this expert group on the preparation of the new document will take place in Ashgabat in the coming days.
Turkmenistan takes concrete steps on diversification of its energy flows which we regard as one of the vital elements in ensuring energy security. In recent years three gas pipelines were built through which natural gas of Turkmenistan is supplied to China. The construction of the fourth route of that pipeline is being realized.
The project of the second pipeline to Iran has been successfully completed. The preparation works are finalized and the main processes of the construction works are agreed on the gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India. Recently the meeting of the Leading committee on the construction of this pipeline took place in Ashgabat, which decided to announce an international tender on determining the head of the Consortium «TAPI Ltd.». Now we do not have any doubts that this project will be realized in reasonable periods.
The opportunities of transporting Turkmen energy carriers in the North directionare concretely considered. Our energy strategy is based on the principles of multilateral energy flows, widening their geography, attractinglarger number of countries interested in participation of international energy processes. It is not however a mechanical inclusion of states and territories in the artificial scheme. We are talking about objective tendencies in geo-economy, where certainly diversification, the presence of alternative supply routes acts as a turning point in the global energy security ensuring stability of the whole system of the world economy, free from inequalities and structural deficiencies. We think that the origin of the stable energy lies here.
Our country pays special attention to the issues of energy efficiency and energy saving, use of renewable energy sources. We think that this issue should be discussed today as an important part of the international energy dialogue. Careful and long-lasting approach to ecology, protection of the natural environment is another vital component of the modern energy cycle. The necessity of the day is the use of innovative technologies and management methods for creating energy producing and transiting infrastructure.Comprehensive ecological approach to the extraction of hydrocarbon resources becomes the synonym of effectiveness.
Our common goal is to bring together objective economic interests and realities of the international partnership whileprotecting the ecological balance. In this regard, Turkmenistan is ready for further widening and expansion of cooperation with international structures with the aim to minimize ecological risks during the extraction of energy resources, implementing into the production process the effective protective technologies and use of modern management solutions. Such work is being realized and gives good results. Today in our country, the extraction of hydrocarbon resources is being realized according to the high ecological standards. In this regard, our state has created the necessary normative-legal basis.
The adoption of the “National strategy of Turkmenistan on climate change” links all the primary spheres of production phases of the government to theprocesses of ecological security. This strategy stands for priority development of all the high-technological spheres, creating conditions for “green economy” as an element for proper functioning of all the vital infrastructure of the country. This is also to the full extent related to the fuel-energy complex. We are thankful to the international organizations, and primarily to the United Nations and its specialized agencies for constructive approach and support in this issues. We are ready to closely cooperate in the framework of the Energy Charter.
Dear participants of the Forum!
Reliability and security of international energy flows, legal protection of energy supply routes gain a decisive meaning today. The need for development of generally acceptable approaches to this issue, design of clear and stable principles of relations between suppliers, transit countries and consumers of energy resources become more obvious. Developing its position on this issue, Turkmenistan is assured that international transit of energy carriers should be implemented on equal and fair basis, be economically and commercially feasible.
We think it is unacceptable to politicize the issue of energy carriers transport, use of this instrument for “political intimidation” in relations between the countries. We also think that it is necessary to assign practical, economically feasible prices for transporting energy carriers through transit territories. In this regard, we are ready to closely cooperate with the partners from the Energy Charter based on comprehensively formulated principles. Firstly, on the principles of freedom of transit, that is fully coinciding with the approach of Turkmenistan concerning this issue.
We are confident that the strategic interests of the energy “troika” – producers, transit countries and energy consumers lies in the flexibility of cooperation, not in rivalry, aimed at long-term partnership, not short-lived gains.
On the global energy market, there should not be any status hierarchy, classifying “big” and “small” players. We all are equal partners, depending on each other and united by the common goals, given the observance of legal individual interests.Taking this into consideration, we should move forward to form single rules and norms of cooperation on the world energy arena.
Dear participants of the Forum!
Today global economy goes through serious geo-strategic and structural changes. New development centers are being formed, integrational poles with broad human and industrial resources are being created, including technological potentials and attractive investment climate. These changes have a growing impact on the development and orientation of international energy flows, their geographic configuration. These processes suggest that global energy environment is not a motionless establishment, in fact, it is a changing reality.
Today, as the suppliers search for new markets, consumers search for new energy carrier sources to satisfy their growing needs. This is particularly related to the developing markets. Thus, creation of alternative supply routes of energy carriers means access to the alternative sources.
I think that such approach between the suppliers and energy consumers is very logical and should be considered during the development of new design of global energy supplies. The main goal here is to ensure that the consumer has the freedom and right to select uninterruptedly and alternatively the sources of energy.
In this regard the issue of assigning the prices to energy resources becomes here very important. We observe today how vitally and chaotically take place the variations of prices for hydrocarbon resources. Regardless of the reasons, such situation creates instability in relations between the suppliers and consumers, brings to unfair competition, formation of shadowy, sometimes illegal marketing of energy carriers. All of this has a negative impact on the world economy.
In this context, it is necessary to consolidate the international efforts to stabilize the prices on hydrocarbons. It is vital to adopt agreed, responsible decisions on the governmental level, as well as on the level of international financial institutions and energy enterprises.
The position of Turkmenistan is solid and unchanged here: the prices for energy carriers should be fair, economically feasible and should be formed on clear and vivid principles. Their artificial increase or decrease, politicization, price conspiracy and indecent lobbying are unacceptable.
As a responsible and reliable producer and supplier of energy resources, Turkmenistan is ready to closely cooperate with the governments of the world and international institutes in order to develop agreed and vivid approaches to these issues.
Dear participants of the Forum!
The world energy resources are the property of the whole humankind. Today it is not only the fuel for global economy, in fact it gives an opportunity to develop the world economy, guarantees the implementation of stable development goals, ensures steady growth of the well-being and life quality of people, their access to the benefits of civilization and progress.
The stability of the world economy today is based on the stability of the world energy. This means that it is necessary to develop useful, internationally and legally binding mechanisms for the actions of the governments in this sphere, including the formation of solid, stable and universal principles regulating the development of global energy cooperation.
The key factor is the establishment of international guarantees for security of energy supplyinginfrastructure. Turkmenistan consistently contributes to the realization of this goal. The number of supporters and adherents of Turkmenistan’s initiatives on reliable and stable transit of energy carriers and creation of new international, legal framework of energy security, grows consistently. Among our partners and supporters, there are large and authoritative international organizations, such as the United Nations, OSCE, European Commission and others.
We are thankful for their support of our ideas and proposals, for their constructive and attentive approach. Our country is ready for further close cooperation with these organizations.
Today, cooperation of Turkmenistan in the framework of the Energy Charter reaches a new level, which is proven by the election of our country to Chair the Energy Charter in the year 2017. I would like to thank the Secretary-General of the Energy Charter Mr. Urban Rusnak and all the member states for supporting the candidacy of Turkmenistan to Chair the Charter! We are preparing to the work ahead on the highest level.
We are confident that the Energy Charter can and must play one of the leading roles in consolidation of efforts on creating effective, fair and balanced model of relations on the world energy arena, and aimed to become the leader and advocate of new ideas and approaches. Turkmenistan is ready to provide the necessary support.
I sincerely congratulate all the participants of the Ashgabat Forum of the Energy Charter with the start of the work! I wish productive realization of all our joint ideas and intentions!
