In the evening of 24 November, Dr Rusnák held a meeting with the Deputy Administrator of the National Energy Administration of China (NEA) Mr Li Fanrong  where he discussed the main areas of cooperation between the International Energy Charter and China, namely (i) the ongoing cooperation with the China Electricity Council (CEC), (ii) support for RECA meeting in Hong Kong (23-25 February 2017) and IAP meeting in Beijing (June 2017), and (iii) the organisation of a Joint Energy Charter Forum in Beijing (October 2017).

The following day, the Secretary General met with the delegations of the new observers to the Energy Charter Conference, Mr Ahmad Allam-Mi, the Secretary General of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Mr Elhadji Mohamed Najim, the Permanent Secretary of the G5 Sahel Secretariat and Mr Rodrigo Fernandez, the Vice Minister of Energy and Mines of Guatemala and discussed the next steps of their engagement in the Energy Charter Process.

Dr Rusnák also held meetings with Mr Batyr Ashyrov, Vice-Minister of Energy of Turkmenistan, with whom the upcoming Turkmenistan Chairmanship of the Energy Charter Conference in 2017 and its priorities were discussed, and Mr Hayk Harutyunyan, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia, during which the partners discussed the ongoing and future cooperation within the framework of the EU4Energy Programme administered by the European Commission. The Secretary General also discussed Poland’s active role in the coming year in the Energy Charter Process with Mr Michał Kurtyka, the Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Energy of Poland. 

Moreover, the Secretary General met with H.E. Venetia Sebudandi, Ambassador of Rwanda to Japan, Ms Jabulile Mashwama, the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy of Swaziland, and Ms Irene Muloni, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda, with whom he discussed the possibility of a deeper engagement for Uganda in the Energy Charter, e.g. via a secondment programme.

Finally the Secretary General had extensive discussions with Mr Fumio Kishida, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan who is the Chairman of the Energy Charter Conference.