The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programme

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) programme, established by the Asian Development Bank in 2001, is a partnership of 11 countries (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and 6 multilateral financial institutions (The Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank). 

The main goal of the programme is to promote development through cooperation, leading to accelerated economic growth and poverty reduction.
The main priorities of the programme are the transport, trade and energy sectors. Since 2001, $21 billion has been invested in these areas.

Each year, one country is selected under the programme to host high-level events. As a result of the activities in each of the three priority areas, a meeting of high-level officials is held by the end of each year, at which documents are submitted to the Ministerial Conference of the last meeting.

In the field of energy, meetings of the Coordinating Committees of the Energy Sector are held twice a year. Azerbaijan is represented at the committee by the Ministry of Energy.

The Ministry of Economy is the country coordinator of the CAREC programme, and the annual events are organised by the Ministry of Economy.

A representative of the Ministry of Energy has represented Azerbaijan as a permanent member of the CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee at CAREC programme events (meetings of the Energy Sector Coordinating Committee, senior officials meetings, ministerial conferences and Energy Sector Investment Forums since 2015) held annually in one of the member countries.
On May 23-25, 2011, the CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting was held in Baku. It provided an overview on ‘Azerbaijan’s Strategic Position in the Energy Sector.’
On June 6-7, 2012, a representative from the Ministry of Energy attended the CAREC Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Hohhot, China.
On July 3-5, 2012, a representative from the Ministry of Energy attended the IEA-Caspian Energy Policy dialogue and training meeting, organised by the International Energy Agency, the Government of Kazakhstan and the CAREC programme, in Astana, Kazakhstan. 
On June 6-7, 2013, a representative from the Ministry of Energy took part in the 15th Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
On June 27-28, 2013, the next CAREC Senior Officials’ Meeting was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
On September 10-12, 2013, the 16th CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
On April 2-3, 2014, the Ministry of Energy was also represented at the 17th CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
On September 4-5, 2014, the Ministry of Energy participated in the 18th CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting held in Beijing, China.
On September 23-25, 2015, the Ministry of Energy was also represented at the CAREC Senior Officials’ meeting, the Investment Forum and the 14th Ministerial Conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
On April 10-14, 2016, the Ministry of Energy participated in the 21st CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting and a workshop on ‘Energy Regulation’ in Islamabad, Pakistan.
On October 24-26, 2016, the Ministry of Energy was also represented in the 1st CAREC Energy Investment Forum and the 15th Ministerial Conference held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Ministry of Energy was also represented at the CAREC Training Course on Autonomous Power Supply Systems and New Technologies held in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia, on November 21-24, 2016, and at the 22nd Meeting of the Energy Sector Coordinating Committee.
On April 17-20, 2017, a delegation from the Ministry of Energy participated in the event ‘ICT in the Field of Energy’ in South Korea within the CAREC programme.
On May 10-13, 2017, the Ministry of Energy participated in the 23rd CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
On May 25, 2017, a seminar was organised in Baku with the participation of a delegation from the Asian Development Bank, including a representative from the Ministry of Energy, for preliminary discussions on the preparation of a new strategic framework document for the CAREC programme.
On July 16-21, 2017, the next CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting and the Energy Investment Forum was held in Astana, Kazakhstan.
On November 8, 2017, the next CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting was held in the format of a video conference in Baku with the participation of representatives of 11 member countries (Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and China), USAID, the World Bank and the CAREC Institute. Representatives from the Ministry of Energy attended the event. The application of high technologies in the energy sector was discussed, as well as the reliable supply of electricity to the regions between member states, energy security, balancing the development of energy resources in the regions and other issues.
On March 12-13, 2018, Baku hosted a seminar on ‘Achieving Energy Security in Asia: The Role of Alternative and Renewable Energy.’ A report was provided on the current state and prospects of renewable energy use in Azerbaijan, the energy market, international cooperation in the field of renewable energy and commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030. Representatives from the ministry took part in the seminar.
On March 13-14, 2018, the 26th CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting under the Asian Development Bank was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Representatives from the Ministry of Energy attended the meeting.
On September 10-12, 2018, the 28th CAREC Energy Sector Coordinating Committee meeting and the 3rd CAREC Energy Investment Forum were held in Batumi, Georgia, within the framework of the Asian Development Bank. A representative from the Ministry of Energy made a presentation on the ‘Agreement on the Caspian Sea.’
On September 11, 2018, the Ministry of Energy hosted a meeting between Deputy Minister, Samir Valiyev, and a delegation of the CAREC Institute led by Director, Sanjaasuren Bayaraa, within the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) programme.
On 29-30 July 2019, the Asian Development Bank paid a mission visit on consultation on energy field to Azerbaijan within the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. The purpose of the mission was to discuss the draft document “CAREC Energy Strategy 2030”, the 1st dialogue of Energy Ministers and Energy Investment Forum of CAREC countries, which should be held in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan on 20-21 September 2019, and the Declaration of Energy Ministers planned to be adopted during the above mentioned dialogue.
On July 30, 2019, within the framework of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, a meeting was held between the Head of the Administration of the Ministry of Energy Zaur Mammadov and the representative of the Central and Western Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank, energy specialist Sarin Abado.
First meeting of Energy Ministers of CAREC member countries was held in Tashkent on 20-21 September 2019. Deputy Minister of Energy Samir Valiyev represented Azerbaijan at the event. The Deputy Minister also participated in the "Energy Investment Forum". He participated in the discussions on "Global Energy Transition: Challenges and opportunities for Regional cooperation" and "Reforms in the energy sector as a means of accelerating investment". 
On 22-23 October 2019, a representative of the Ministry of Energy attended the seminar on “Achieving energy security in Asia: diversification, cooperation and renewable energy” to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, jointly organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation Institute and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
On 14 November 2019, a representative of the Ministry of Energy took part in the 18th Ministerial Conference within CAREC Program of the Asian Development Bank in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
On 27 November 2019, within the mission visit of the ADB`s Public-Private Partnership Office to Baku, a meeting was held with the Deputy Minister of Energy Samir Valiyev. 
On 19 October 2020, a representative of the Ministry of Energy participated in the energy session held via Zoom program within the virtual meeting of senior officials on the ADB`s CAREC Program.

On 10 June, the 31st meeting of the Energy Sector Coordinating Committee of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program was held in videoconference format under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan. About 80 representatives from 11 member countries and a number of international organizations took part at the event. At the meeting, within the framework of the Energy Sector Coordinating Committee new innovative methods of cooperation, the main challenges in the implementation of CAREC's energy strategy until 2030, the development of online atlas of energy reforms, the role of women in the energy sector, the creation of a regional financial instrument for financing "green energy" projects were discussed. Deputy Minister of Energy Samir Valiyev attended the event. Co-chair of the Working Group on energy efficiency and energy balance diversification, Asaf Rzayev, Head of Energy Efficiency Section of the Ministry made a presentation on the new regional energy mechanism concept and strengthening energy efficiency awareness on the financing of "green energy” projects.

On 2 December 2021, the 5th Energy Investment Forum has been held through videoconference under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan to the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. 11 member countries, international organizations supporting the Program and acting as partners were represented at the event. At the forum, the reports were made on possible means to achieve energy efficiency, the role of energy efficiency in electric power engineering, the financial mechanisms and the application of new technologies in terms of energy efficiency. Startups were demonstrated. Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the forum