At UN debate, Turkmenistan leader proposes international legal framework on energy security
The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, today stressed energy security as a basic condition for global development and proposed the creation of an international legal framework on the issue, as he addressed the high-level debate of the United Nations General Assembly.
“One of the basic conditions for a stable and conflict-free development of the world today is energy security,” said Vice President Meredov, who is also his country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.
“We consider it appropriate to prepare a draft resolution of the General Assembly on the establishment of an expert group to development an appropriate UN multilateral document,” he added.
Turkmenistan, he noted, is one of the leading suppliers of energy resources and possesses the fourth largest reserves of hydrocarbon resources. It has “responsibly and consistently” called for the establishment of a stable and reliable system of international energy supplies and the elaboration of schemes and patterns of interaction in the global energy markets.
“We believe that today there is a need for the adoption of UN-level consensus decisions, which would serve as a basis for the creation of universal political and legal mechanisms governing global energy cooperation,” said Vice President Meredov.
He recalled that his country launched a number of initiatives related to energy security and mutually beneficial cooperation in the energy sector.
“As a step forward with regard to these initiatives, Turkmenistan suggests that the UN member countries consider in great detail the idea of creating an international legal framework that would govern the functioning of energy supply systems, taking into due consideration the interests of hydrocarbon producers, transit and recipient nations,” he said.
Vice President Meredov is one of scores of world leaders and other high-level officials presenting their views and comments on issues of individual national and international relevance at the Assembly’s General Debate, which ends on 1 October.