On 24 February 2020, Energy Charter Secretary General Dr Urban Rusnák took part in the EU-Central Asia working lunch. The event was held in Brussels and brought together the representatives of the European Union’s services such as the European External Action Service, DG Energy and DG Development and Cooperation and the Heads of Missions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The topics of discussion focused on potential cooperation in the field of sustainable energy. The participants exchanged views on development and clean energy in the context of EU-Central Asia collaboration. The Commission informed on the work in progress on the new technical assistance project titled “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia” following the EU internal approval process.
The Ambassadors appreciated the initiative of the Commission and stressed the importance of the Energy Charter as a natural platform for EU-Central Asia energy cooperation. It was agreed to address energy cooperation in the framework of the first EU-Central Asia Economic Forum which will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 9-10 July 2020.