Kazakhstan ready to expand energy cooperation with SCO member states

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Kazakhstan ready to expand energy cooperation with SCO member states

Energy cooperation is one of the most promising vectors for Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. Kazakhstan is ready to expand partnership in this particular realm, said Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov in Tashkent at the sitting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government.

“The task set before us is to consolidate the trade-and-economic potential of the countries to have trade and investments developed”, K. Massimov said. SCO member states have seen high economic growth rates. Thus, for the first 8 months of 2007 Kazakhstan increased foreign trade with SCO member states by 50%, K. Massimov briefed. Nowadays there’s a need for greater deepening of trade-and-economic ties among the member states. Supply of resources is an acute issue for enterprises of our countries. Therefore, development of transit-transport and logistics systems is a pressing issue to ensure more active movement of goods, he added.

Energy cooperation is a major strategic task. Energy cooperation is of vital importance as market trends in the energy realm are favorable within the SCO and regional pipelines networks are being developed actively to accommodate the ever growing demand for energy resources. That’s why at the last year’s SCO summit in Shanghai Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested working out an Asian Energy Strategy, with the major goal of the document being development of a mechanism to expand mutually beneficial ties among SCO member states in the energy realm. I am suggesting holding a special sitting to discuss a draft joint strategy before the end of 2007, K. Massimov said.

Leaders of 6 SCO member states have come to Tashkent as well as representatives of observing nations – India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Kazinform