On behalf of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization allow me to welcome organizers and participants of international Round table and to thank the Center for Political Studies and personally Ms. Gulnara Karimova for the initiative to hold such an event on one of the most actual issues in the framework of our Organization.

In recent years cooperation of the SCO member-states in fuel and energy sector has got evident development, concrete projects are being realized. Gradually points of further actions are being defined, the main of which is unification of efforts of our countries with a view to supply energy security; creation of an effective system of energy saving taking into account the wishes of both producers and consumers.

An optimal way seems to create an effective coordinating mechanism of the SCO member-states in energy sphere.
That is an aim of initiatives in fuel and energy sector held by the majority of the SCO member-states.

In October, 2005 in Dushanbe during the regular meeting of ministers of the SCO member-states responsible for foreign economy and foreign trade Tajik part called attention to the creation of hydraulic power system in the framework of the SCO.

In December 2005in Tashkent during discussions held on international conference “Central Asian Energy Market: Trends and Prospects” the Center for Political Studies proposed an idea of formation of energy alliance – an “Energy Club of the SCO”.

On 15th of June, 2006 during the anniversary summit in Shanghai the President of the Russian Federation V.Putin concretely emphasized the task on formation an energy club of the SCO and the President of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev proposed to work out the model of Asian energy strategy.

During the meeting of Council of heads of the SCO member-states governments in Dushanbe on 15th of September, 2006 in an effort to realize these initiatives it was commissioned Special working group on fuel and energy complex issues in coordination with the SCO Secretariat to learn the possibility of formation an Energy club of our Organization.

Abovementioned question and also an elaboration and discussion of the project of Asian energy strategy are included in the draft of Agenda of the meeting of the SCO member-states’ heads of ministries and departments responsible for fuel and energy complex which is going to be held by Kazakh part on March, 2007 in Astana.

In the framework of the Special working group on customs cooperation it is working out the draft of multilateral document on exchange of information in the sphere of control over energy resources transfer.

Thus it is taken efficient measures on formation new energy configuration of the SCO member-states and observers that creates prerequisites for the fundamentally new and all-sufficient structure in Eurasia.

In opinion of the Secretariat of the SCO an implementation of assigned task requires solution of such important problems as:
- Formation of legal base allowing to define concrete aims and tasks;
- Unification of national laws in energy sphere;
- Following  common policy  in  the field of transportation and transit of energy  resources and electric power;
- Effective use of joint energy potential of the SCO member-states that significantly differ from each other in supplying with energy resources and other measures directed on carrying out coordinated policy in energy sphere.

Dear friends,

Holding an international Round table should be considered in the light of our joint efforts on formation common energy diplomacy and elaboration of mutually acceptable and mutually beneficial approaches to the cooperation in the sphere of fuel  and energy complex, development of energy dialogue among the states of the region and guaranteeing the regional energy  security.

Undoubtedly, researches and elaborations of analytic centers and nongovernmental organizations play significant role in realization of idea of formation of the SCO Energy club.

I am sure that exchange of views and evaluations would be efficient for working out issues of formation and activity of Energy club in the framework of our Organization.

Taking this opportunity I wish organizers and participants of International Round table success in professional activity, robust health, happiness and wellbeing.

B.K. Nurgaliev
Secretary-General of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization