Pakistan has assumed the Chairmanship of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc) working Group on Energy at its first meeting held in Islamabad on June 15 and 16.
Experts from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan participated in the meeting, which was inaugurated by Chaudhry Nouraiz Shakoor Khan Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources.
Pakistan will remain the chairman of the group for the next five years. This would give an opportunity to the government to place a sharp focus on co-operation in the energy sector within the South Asian region. Pakistan was offered the chairmanship of the working group at the 12th Saarc Summit held here in January this year.
The group has made several important recommendations for consideration and adoption by the Saarc Council of Ministers meeting to be held in July this year.
One of the most important recommendations of the group is the formation of a South Asia Energy Forum at the ministerial level.
Considering that within the Saarc framework not a single ministerial meeting has been held on this subject, the South Asia Energy Forum will provide an opportunity for the policy makers of the region to exchange views on policy issues related to energy co-operation and an energy ring in South Asia.