Dear participants of the Round table, dear guests!
First of all I would like to express my appreciation to all participants for the possibility to find time in your tough schedule and agree to take part in discussions of the issues so actual for the region.
During the international scientific conference «Central Asian Energy Market: Trends and Prospects» held in Tashkent in December 2005 it was proposed an idea of creation of a certain organization in energy sphere in the framework of the SCO. Such organization could give a unique opportunity to coordinate efforts of producers, transitors and suppliers of energy resources particularly taking into consideration that all countries which meet abovementioned functions are presented in this international organization.
Later during the press-conference in Moscow in April 2006 this idea was publicly announced mostly for information agencies and research organizations specializing with these issues. We were glad that this scientific-research idea has got an applied character and was presented by the President of the Russian Federation V.Putin during the Summit of the SCO in Shanghai in June 2006.
The idea of creation of Energy Club of the SCO that was clearly outlined has practical prehistory and basis at the same time.
The situation in the world market in recent years demonstrates steady trend to further actualization of the problems in the sphere of production, exploring and transportation of energy resources, creation of new electrogenerating capacities. It was arouses by some factors such as first of all unexampled growth of use of hydrocarbon resources in South and East-Southern Asia, steady high level of consumption in North America and Europe. It could be observed the gradual exhaustion of regions which are traditional primary oil&gas producers – North Sea, fields in the USA, Indonesia, etc.
Along with that fact post-soviet countries keeping stable economic growth are making an increasing influence on the global market of oil, natural gas and electric power. The result is rise of the level of well-being of the population and growth of purchase of energy-requiring industry production. Thus only in Russia during 2006 it was sold more than one million cars. Significant activities in this sector are demonstrated by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries.
Especially I would like to point to the situation in the global market of production and consumption of electric power. According to existing forecasts in nearest two decades world average requirements of electric power would grow on 2.4% per year. In spite of investment of round sums in development of generating powers one of third part of population of the planet can be faced with electric power deficit.
Natural consequence of these processes is rise of concern of the leading world consumers on prospects of supplying their energy security. At that they consider different ways of solution - from active investment in elaborations of perspective projects abroad to direct diplomatic and coercive pressing on producers as it happened in the Persian Gulf.
In that case the role of oil, gas and uranium-mining the SCO member-states and observers that are the biggest energy region on extraction, proved and perspective reserves of hydrocarbon raw material and its consumption. It gives the organization unique opportunity to create balanced structure “producer-consumer” that could make an impact on global energy market.
Taking into account indicated points the members of the organization are faced to the problems concerning with establishment of interaction in the sphere of exploring, extraction, transportation of energy raw material and electric power generation. It is considering actual to work out coordinated policy on participation in maintenance stability of regional and global energy market. The problem of providing energy security without of which it is impossible effectively develop an energy sector is also very important.
Recently Russia, China and Central Asia have done a lot for preparation executive-organizational and theoretical base of global and long-term plans of the organization in energy sphere. Particularly there are national coordinators under the SCO Secretariat that are engaged in energy sector. Consultations on development of transport powers, investments in perspective projects are being held.
Along with existing opportunities to create the SCO Energy club that could become one of the biggest unions on level with OPEC and IAEA there are a lot of opportunities for further improvement of effectiveness of taken measures. In our point of view the potential of independent think-tanks of states of the region is not used in full measure concerning energy sector. It seems they could make significant contribution on working out theoretic researches and proposals on different parts of development of energy cooperation and as result on formation a certain basis of consolidation of ideas on partnership in energy sphere.
Taking into consideration this fact we organized this meeting of experts purposed an aim to attract attention of the SCO structures and officials of member-states of the Organization to intellectual capacities of independent think-tanks. We believe that wide attraction of research centers to discussions on formation an Energy club, researches on influence of the SCO energy policy on geopolitical, social and economic processes could play great positive role.
Dear participants,
Allow me to express assurance that this event will become the platform for establishing constructive dialogue both among independent think-tanks of the member-states of the SCO and among research centers and officials of the SCO structures, especially taking into consideration real support of this initiative made by the Organization on the example of this event held with direct support of the SCO Secretariat. We suppose that the first test project could be cooperation in the sphere of research of the prospects of creation and functioning of Energy Club.
I wish to believe that the results of our Round table would play important role in formation of the SCO as a reliable and stable factor of global energy.
In conclusion I would like to wish all participants and guests good luck and announce our Round table opened.
Thank you for your attention.
