June 12, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 11: Energy experts from Japan and member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Wednesday proposed the signing of an ‘Energy Charter Treaty’ to promote regional cooperation in energy sector.

In their recommendations on the conclusion of the two-day Japan-SAARC Symposium on Energy and Connectivity, the participants said Japan and Saarc member states should expedite energy cooperation in the region, with greater sense of urgency, recognising the tremendous energy resource potential, and vital role of energy in economic, social, human development and poverty reduction.

They said the Saarc member states for this purpose should continue to make use of the technical assistance from bilateral and multilateral sources for capacity building, technology transfer, energy efficiency and specific project formulation. Information on progress, technical know-how, needs, barriers and possible solutions must be mutually shared by the states.

According to the experts, Japan and Saarc members should continue the dialogue for possible means and cooperation to improve regional connectivity in energy sector.

They said efforts should be made for fostering private and public partnership, Research and Development; and cooperation with academics, civil society and the media.

They were of the view that priority areas of energy cooperation in the Saarc region included energy infrastructure development, regional trade of energy, sharing of hydroelectric resources and demand-side management.

They stressed that the parties engaged in the current projects for constructions of gas pipelines connecting one or more Saarc countries to external energy sources in the region urgently address outstanding issues.

The participants said Japan and Saarc member should make efforts to promote public awareness of the need for regional energy cooperation, adding that programmes and activities of Saarc Energy Centre should be strongly supported through provision of human, financial, infrastructural, technical and material resources.

They said Saarc member states should consider establishing an inter-governmental framework for implementing the agreed programme of action in energy cooperation.

The symposium was jointly organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, and the Government of Japan, and was attended by the energy experts and some government officials from Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan and the Saarc Energy Centre, as well as audiences invited from various sectors in Islamabad.

Speaking at the concluding session of the symposium, Ismail Qureshi, secretary Water and Power, said that energy sources in Saarc region and its neighbours were huge, unevenly distributed and undeveloped. Cross-border investments in energy and promotion of regional energy trade are essential for achieving economic growth of the Saarc countries. The factors curtailing such regional cooperation are political tension, poor infrastructure and poor operational efficiency, he added.