Seminar in Baku discusses energy security
NATO’s Defense and Security Economics Directorate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan co-organized a seminar on ”Energy Security: Challenges and Opportunities” in Baku on 10-11 June 2009. Discussions focused on the risks and threats to energy security and critical energy infrastructure protection as well as the role of partnerships in the energy security field and their potential for cooperation.
The seminar provided an opportunity for participants from Allied, Partner, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative countries as well as representatives from the OSCE, the business sector, academia and think tanks to discuss NATO’s role in energy security and highlight the importance of energy resources.
The main topics of discussion centered upon the importance of the Caspian region as a crossroad between major players in that area, but also on the specificities of the energy sector in selected Euro-Atlantic Partnership (EAPC) countries, and the necessity and opportunities for international and regional cooperation on energy security.
The conference was opened by Mr. Michael Gaul, Head of the NATO Defence and Security Economics Directorate, and Mr. Araz Azimov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Keynote speeches were delivered by Mr. Bogdan Aurescu, Secretary of State for Strategic Affairs, Romania, and Mr. Vural Altay, Deputy Director General for Energy, Water and Environment, Turkey.
The event was a follow-up to the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) Colloquium on “Energy Infrastructure Security” held in Azerbaijan in July 2007. At the Bucharest Summit in April 2008, the Allies identified principles and outlined options and recommendations for NATO’s role in energy security. Those principles were reiterated at the Strasbourg/Kehl Summit in April 2009.