On 26 and 27 April 2018, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the two-day seminar to share international best practices on assessing possible risks, developing effective response measures, and evaluating the impact and implementation of other mechanisms aimed at protecting energy infrastructure and promoting energy security.
The event was attended by the representatives of the State Commission on Emergency Situations, military and law-enforcement bodies, the State Seismology Service under the Academy of Science and relevant ministries.
In her opening statement, Ambassador Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat recalled the 2013 Kyiv OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on the Protection of energy networks from natural and man-made disasters. This Decision called on OSCE participating States to “make best use of the OSCE as a platform for a broad dialogue, co-operation, exchange of information and sharing of best practices on strengthening the security and safety of the energy networks in the OSCE region.”
“Today’s event is organized as part of the OSCE Centre’s activities implemented since 2016 to contribute to the capacity building of officials from relevant national authorities in the area of disaster risk reduction,” said Ambassador Drozd.
International experts focused on management approaches to the protection of energy infrastructure from natural hazards and shared techniques of preventing damage caused by earthquakes and responding to such incidents, including on energy infrastructure sites. The participants were also briefed on management and decision-making principles in natural disaster response situations. The seminar also featured a practical exercise and concluded with a roundtable discussion on mitigating the risks posed by natural hazards in Turkmenistan.
