Videoconference was held between the Ministry of Energy and the Secretariat of the Energy Charter

A video conference was held with the participation of Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov and Secretary General of the International Energy Charter Urban Rusnak. The issues related to the modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty, as well as the measures to be taken within the Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Energy Charter Conference in the current year were discussed.
The sides exchanged views on the positions of member states in the process of modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty and organization of the Working Group on modernization. Secretary General Urban Rusnak stressed the importance of adapting the Energy Charter Treaty to the modern requirements of the global energy sector and said that the first phase of the negotiations on the process of modernization will begin next week. Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov noted that Azerbaijan's proposals for the modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty were submitted in 2019 and consultations with state bodies are currently underway. Taking into account the fact that decisions are made on the basis of consensus for the International Energy Charter, it is also important for the parties to actively participate in the negotiation process in order to reach a common agreement on the modernization of the contract. 
Technical and organizational issues related to the preparation for the Energy Charter Forum, 31st International Energy Charter Conference and Ministerial Meeting planned to be held in Baku were also reviewed in the video conference. 
It should be noted that the decision on Azerbaijan`s chairmanship over the Energy Charter Conference in 2020 was made in 2018.