Moscow has hosted the Caspian Dialogue-2012 Forum, an annual meeting organized with support of the Russian Ministry for Energy, Foreign Ministry, Ministry for Natural Resources and Ecology, Trade and Industry Chamber and the Russian Academy of Sciences. The forum was organized by the Science and Innovations of the Caspian Council and Roskon Information and Consulting Center.
The forum is to consolidate efforts to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the Caspian Region. Special attention will be paid to extraction of resources, construction and modernization of infrastructure, industry, mining, oil and gas extraction and refineries, innovative projects, development of fishing, protection of environment. The main highlight of the forum is the Fifth Caspian Energy Forum “Energy of the Caspian – Energy of the World”.
Talyat Aliyev, Deputy Director of the Department for International Cooperation of the Russian Energy Ministry, noted in the opening speech that Russia considers the Caspian Region a priority in its energy policy and wants to build new terminals, a tanker fleet and intensify geological explorations.
The Caspian Sea has about 3% of world oil and 5% of gas reserves. Extraction increased annually. Aliyev said they the Southern Gas Corridor is a competitive of Russia’s South Stream. Nabucco is not developing. Hungary’s MOL left the project. Efficient work requires cooperation, not competition, Aliyev continues. The expert stressed on the need to settle the Caspian Sea status. Ecology is another problem dragging development of energy projects of 5 Caspian states.
