On 26 November, the Secretary General met with Mr Kentaro Sonoura, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Ms Fatma Zohra Cherfi Talantikite, the General Secretary at the Ministry of Energy of Algeria.

He also met with the delegation of Iran led by Mr Hamid Chitchian, the Minister of Energy, with whom there was a discussion on an enhanced engagement with the Energy Charter Process following the signing of the International Energy Charter in Tokyo, as well as future areas of mutual cooperation, including integrating electricity markets in the region.

Dr Rusnák also held bilateral meetings with Mr Victor Vlad Grigorescu, the Minister of Energy of Romania, with whom he discussed the priorities of the 2018 Romanian Chairmanship of the Energy Charter Conference. There was also a meeting with Mr Ali Ahmad Osmani, the Minister of Energy and Water of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, where there was a discussion on the delivery of Investment Climate and Market Structure Review for Afghanistan in 2017 and on regional electricity cooperation between Central and South Asia.

Moreover, the Secretary General held discussions with Mr Christophe Bazivamo, the Deputy Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) on the future relationship between the International Energy Charter and the EAC following its signing of the International Energy Charter declaration the day before. 

The bilateral meetings concluded with Dr Tun Naing, the Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy of Myanmar and Mr Lean Tun, the Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Cambodia and  a discussion on further enhancement of their countries’ relations with the International Energy Charter.