On 9 September 2016, the Energy Charter Secretary General Dr Urban Rusnák met with Ms Adela Raz, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. They discussed bilateral cooperation issues between Afghanistan and the Energy Charter as well as regional energy cooperation in Central and South Asia. The Secretary General briefed Ms Raz on the instruments such as investment and energy efficiency reviews as well as capacity building programmes which could be offered by the Energy Charter. The Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of energy access for sustainable development and security in Afghanistan. She expressed her interest in the work of the Secretariat on investment promotion and protection which would be discussed with relevant energy authorities in Kabul.