Kazakh president proposes coordinating SCO energy strategy by next summit

ASTANA. July 4 (Interfax) - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has invited the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to coordinate a common energy strategy and hold an energy forum in Astana next year.

"We need to coordinate our work to ensure energy balance and harmonized actions focused on energy transition and decarbonization of the economy and industry. Considering this, I propose agreeing upon an SCO energy strategy by the next summit in Astana. The adoption of this document would help achieve the UN sustainable development goals," Tokayev said at an SCO summit via videoconference on Tuesday.

"Taking into account exceptional importance of this issue, we are willing to hold an SCO energy forum in Kazakhstan," he said.

"A comprehensive discussion of prospects for cooperation in this field would make it possible to work out consolidated approaches for ensuring energy security and balanced development of our countries," Tokayev said.