After the approval of Pakistan’s accession, the head of Pakistan’s delegation, Mr Mukhtar Ahmad, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, said that the Energy Charter could assist Pakistan in its ambition to promote economic development by expanding regional energy investment and trade. “The Treaty’s provisions on energy trade and the groundbreaking provisions on energy investments have no equivalent in any other multilateral instrument of this importance”, said Mr Ahmad.

The decision of the Conference was based on three reports, prepared by the Government of Pakistan and the Energy Charter Secretariat in 2006, which analysed the compatibility of Pakistan’s legislation with the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty and reviewed the investment climate and policies relating to energy efficiency. These reports did not identify any measures preventing Pakistan from applying the Treaty provisions. Pakistan will legally become a party to the Energy Charter Treaty and member of the Energy Charter Conference 90 days after the receipt of notification that Pakistan has completed its own procedures for accession and ratification.

The Energy Charter Conference, the governing body of the Energy Charter, held its annual meeting in Brussels on 20 November 2006. Alongside the invitation to Pakistan, the Conference appointed H.E. Mr Takekazu Kawamura, Ambassador of Japan to the European Union, as Chairman to succeed Mr Henning Christophersen. Member countries also reviewed the state-of-play with the draft Energy Charter Protocol on Transit, which remains the subject of bilateral consultation between the European Union and the Russian Federation, and the situation regarding the ratification of the Energy Charter Treaty. Mr Matthias Ruete, Director General for Energy and Transport in the European Commission, addressed the Conference with a speech on the role of the Energy Charter in European energy policy.

The Energy Charter Conference also welcomed Afghanistan as its latest observer state. Afghanistan signed the 1991 Energy Charter political declaration at a ceremony in Kabul in August 2006; speaking to the Conference in Brussels, the Ambassador of Afghanistan to the EU, H.E. Mr Humayun Tander, confirmed his country’s interest in moving towards full accession to the Treaty.