The Ministers of Energy of the member and observer states of the OTS participated in the meeting in Almaty. Hungary was represented by Péter Szijjártó. In his remarks, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade talked about the need for nuclear energy, as well as the commitment of Hungary to the protection of the environment.
Opening the Ministerial meeting, Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev briefed the Parties on the latest activities of the OTS and welcomed the extreme timeliness of the high-level gathering, taking into account the growing significance of energy in the global agenda. Referring to the goals set out in the “Turkic World Vision-2040” adopted at the 8th OTS Summit, the Secretary General underlined the importance of energy diversification, partnership, especially, in the field of renewable and smart energy. He also voiced a proposal to establish OTS Permanent Committee on Energy for the implementation of certain projects related with new energy routes.
In his remarks, Péter Szijjártó warned the participants: The significance of TurkStream has been upgraded by the fact that the operation of the Nord Stream under the Baltic Sea is not guaranteed. For this reason, he drew the attention of the leaders of the countries whose territory the pipeline crosses that they should take good care of the operation of TurkStream. He also reminded of the fact that the Government of Hungary had often been criticized for the implementation of TurkStream. However, without having the pipeline, Hungary would now face enormous troubles.
Péter Szijjártó also pointed out that the current situation requires the research into new sources of energy. He drew the attention to the fact that 10.5 percent of the global gas reserves can be found in Central Asia. This is the reason why Hungary is urging the EU to take efforts to build the infrastructure necessary for the use of gas reserves of Azerbaijan and in the Caucasus, as well as in Central Asia. The EU should also sign the trade agreements that are necessary for these steps. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary believed that it was necessary to increase the capacities of the Trans-Anatolia and Trans-Adriatic pipelines, as well as the connecting of the Southern gas corridor and Central Europe through the Western Balkans. Finally, Péter Szijjártó underlined that 50 percent of the electricity needs of Hungary is produced by nuclear energy. In other words, the larger the capacity of nuclear energy of a country is, the stronger its energy security is.
The Ministers reported on the execution of the agreed minutes of the 1st Meeting of the Ministers in Charge of Energy of the OTS held online on 24 February 2021 and appreciated the preceding meetings of the OTS Working Group on Energy Cooperation, shared their views on the current situation in energy in their respective countries as well as in the region, having expressed their commitment to the further development of the Turkic cooperation in this vital field.
In this regard, the parties adopted the OTS Program on Energy Cooperation for 2023–2027 and its respective action plan which includes exchange of information and ideas on legislation in the energy sector and national programs, renewable and alternative energy sources, fossil fuels energy, nuclear power, energy efficiency, deployment of new technologies, capacity-building programs, as well as increasing cooperation in the international arena.
The Ministers discussed prospective cooperation opportunities among the Member and Observer States in the Turkic world, as well as beyond and creation of effective mechanisms for deepening the energy cooperation, enhancing interconnectivity through joint projects in the Member and Observer States.
They stressed the need for further development of the intra-regional connectivity, improvement of renewable and alternative energy sources. As one of the significant outcomes of the meeting, the Ministers agreed to establish the OTS Coordination Committee on Energy that will also be in charge of implementation of the five-year documents.
Observer State, Hungary expressed its readiness to host the next ministerial meeting.
The meeting was continued by international events and sessions in the framework of Kazakhstan International “Oil & Gas” Exhibition and Conference (KIOGE), taking place in Almaty between 28–30 September, 2022.
