VIENTIANE, November 6 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has called for further steps to improve the legal frame for energy security.
“It is necessary to create a new structure of energy cooperation that will meet the interests of all its participants. In conditions of the changing world energy sector, new threats to stability of the energy markets call for measures to improve the legal base of energy cooperation,” Medvedev said on Tuesday at a plenary session of the ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Lao capital.
“Russia believes that energy security must be based on joint efforts, such as supplies of traditional types of energy sources, more efficient use of these sources securing proper environment protection measures, and developing new types of energy,” he said. In this context, the Russian prime minister called to make use of a whole range of initiatives, including Russia’s “global initiative.”
According to Medvedev, Asia Pacific countries are committed to develop closer energy cooperation. “Under our energy strategy, as one of the world’s key suppliers of hydrocarbons and other types of energy, the share of Asia Pacific states in Russia’s exports is to go up to 30 percent,” he said.
The Russian prime minister invited the ASEM leaders to take part in the Asia Pacific Energy Forum due to be held in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok in May 2013.
Medvedev also touched upon the problems of food security. “Food prices are going up and we cannot reverse this trend. It tells on some of the ASEM countries and causes social and political instability in the world. We shall take part in international programs geared to overcome this crisis,” the Russian prime minister pledged.
He also spoke about Russia’s national top priority tasks, including the use of innovation technologies to ensure efficient use of natural resources and to improve the quality of foodstuffs. “This is one of our national top-priority tasks and we are open for cooperation with partners. A key element is the project of the eastern grain corridor, which provides for the construction of grain terminals in the Far East. It will be useful for all Asian states,” Medvedev added.