On 28 October 2026, Acting Secretary-General, Ms. Atsuko Hirose, attended a side event, “Connecting Europe with Emerging Clean Energy Markets: Accelerating Green Hydrogen Development,” organised by the Clean Energy Center of the Economic Cooperation Organization (CECECO), jointly with SOCAR Green and Hydrogen Europe, as part of the European Hydrogen Week.

The event was opened by the Executive Director of CECECO, Ms. Aysel Yagubova. CECECO was established in 2024 as a joint initiative of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and is headquartered in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan.  ECO has been an observer to the Energy Charter Conference since 2016, and five out of the six Member States of the CECECO Charter are also the Contracting Parties to the Energy Charter Treaty.   

The speakers included the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the European Union and the Kingdom of Belgium, H.E. Mr. Mammad Ahmadzada, and General Director of SOCAR Green, Mr. Elmir Musayev, with emphasis on the energy corridors from Azerbaijan and Central Asia to Europe, particularly on the Caspian green energy corridor.  On the margins of the event, Ms. Yagubova and Ms. Hirose discussed potential areas of cooperation between CECECO and the Secretariat.