In his address to the Forum, President Putin said:

"In general, we must talk about the development of viable updated rules for world trade and mutual investment, the practical resolution of issues of sustainable development, including energy security."

Thw Secretary General Rusnák attended this important event at the invitation of the Russian Government. On the margins of the Forum's programme, he spoke to Mr. Igor Sechin, Executive Secretary of the Presidential Commission for Strategic Development of the Fuel and Energy Sector and Environmental Security. Mr. Sechin expressed his point of view that the future developments in the Energy Charter Process should be linked to the Charter's fundamentals, notably on the issue of energy transit. Dr. Rusnák invited the Russian Government to present its proposals on the modernisation of the Energy Charter Process and confirmed that the Charter was looking forward to a mutually beneficial dialogue with Russia on a working level.

During his meeting with Mr. Alexander Novak, the Russian Minister of Energy, Secretary General Rusnák raised the issue of consolidation of Energy Charter Treaty membership, particularly in the context of the ongoing modernisation of the Energy Charter Process. He highlighted the importance of reflecting the interests of all Energy Charter Treaty member states in the context of the new energy challenges that the world faces today. Informal discussions began earlier this year with the five countries which have signed but not ratified the Energy Charter Treaty in order to identify their main points of concern and ensure the convergence of positions of all member states, which will drive the modernisation process. Minister Novak welcomed the Charter's consolidation and modernisation initiatives and confirmed that Russia would present its proposals to the Energy Charter Secretariat.

Dr. Rusnák also discussed regional power market integration issues with Vyacheslav Kravchenko, Chairman of Russia's Market Council. The Secretary General outlined the Charter's activities on cross-border energy trade, including electricity, and extended an invitation to Mr. Kravchenko to attend the forthcoming 8th Meeting of the Energy Charter's Task Force on Regional Energy Cooperation in Central and Southern Asia, to take place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 20 July 2012.