PROSPECTS FOR ENERGY INTERACTION WITHIN THE SCO

Abstract

 Reliable energy provision is an important factor of sustainable development and political stability in the world. Not only growth of the global economy, but also the population’s quality of life depends on the uninterrupted and efficient functioning of the energy industry, since it is the latter that ensures each and every one access to the primary benefits of civilization. 

During the past 2-3 years, the growth rates in demand on the energy market have exceeded all expectations, with China and other developing Asian countries taking the lead in this respect. In particular, the demand for oil increased in the PRC by 15.4% (whereby there has been a double-digit increase in this index for the second year in a row).1

Questions of energy provision and, more broadly speaking, energy security are currently occupying the minds of politicians and scientists alike, as well as of the ordinary people. Everyone has come to understand that the world must be viewed as a single whole in this area, and this topic has become a regular feature in discussions of our planet’s present and future.

These concerns and searches for solutions can be seen at the global, regional, and even subregional levels. At the last G-8 summit, the Russian president raised the issue of energy supply, which became one of the central topics on the forum’s agenda.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev came forward with the idea of drawing up an Asian energy strategy. The Kazakhstan side has still not presented a developed vision of this conception, but the very call for a common Asian solution to the energy problem is of course not accidental and deserves attention. The fact that energy security has also been placed on the agenda of a multi-profile association like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum also speaks in favor of this attitude