31st Meeting of Energy Charter Conference was held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan

On December 16-17, the 31st meeting of the Energy Charter Conference in videoconference format was held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan. Nearly 100 representatives from more than 30 countries and a number of international organizations took part in the two-day event. On the first day, the procedural matters of the meeting were reviewed and on the second day, a Ministerial Meeting on "Energy efficiency for all: Innovations and investments" was held.  
At the ministerial meeting, innovations, sustainability and investments supporting energy transition, alignment and establishment of effective public-private co-investment mechanisms to support and finance undertakings engaged in energy innovations, establishment of innovative energy funds, increasing the role of public procurement in energy efficiency, creating national institutions devoted to public support of energy innovations were discussed.
The chair of the meeting, Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov said that Azerbaijan is one of the few countries in the world that fully meet its energy needs and is recognized as an important energy exporter in the world: ”Currently, Azerbaijan contributes to ensuring energy security at both regional and global levels. The historic victory of our country after the 44-day war prevented threats to the energy infrastructure once and for all.”
At the same time, the Minister expressed his views on the trends in energy efficiency at the international level, the challenges and the role of investment and innovation in meeting these challenges, and noted that the efficient use of energy resources is also actual for Azerbaijan. It was noted that, targets for the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in our country have been identified, and it was aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the installed capacity to 30%. The minister informed about the measures taken in this direction in our country, and brought to the attention that a new law on  “Efficient use of energy resources and energy efficiency” was drafted with the support of the International Energy Charter, and that work was carried out in the direction of preparation of the action plan and other secondary legislative acts in the relevant field.
Then, Secretary General of the International Energy Charter Urban Rusnak spoke about the work done by the organization in the relevant fields and thanked Azerbaijan for fruitful activity and close cooperation, despite the difficulties associated with the pandemic during its chairmanship.
At the event, high-level representatives from various countries and international organizations gave information about the work done in the field of energy efficiency, the results achieved and thanked for the high level organization of the 31st Meeting of Energy Charter Conference and fruitful activity during the chairmanship in general.
Secretary General of the OPEC Mohammad Barkindo  congratulated Azerbaijan for its Chairmanship of the Energy Charter Conference for 2020 and said that Azerbaijan is an important partner for OPEC and key player in the DoC.  Secretary General thanked Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s President for his continued support to build consensuses and cooperation in this regard. He said that Azerbaijan has been a pivotal member of the Declaration of Cooperation since its signing in 2016.  The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was the first world leader to publically call upon OPEC and non-OPEC to collaborate to ensure stability in the oil industry. Noting that Azerbaijan is recognized as a center of multiculturalism all over the world, the secretary added that our country is famous also as the cradle of oil industry.  The secretary general also delivered congratulations on our historic victory over the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno - Karabakh conflict. He stressed that Azerbaijan is an exemplary country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and supports the World Health Organization.
Speaking on behalf of the Economic Cooperation Organization Secretary General Hadi Suleimanpour, deputy secretary general ambassador Huseyin Avni Bijakli delivered his congratulations on our historic victory and restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. He expressed confidence that the signed trilateral statement would bring peace and tranquility to the region. He said that the organization he represents would be pleased to support the reconstruction work in the liberated regions of Azerbaijan.