Second Ministerial Economic and Energy Dialogue of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue Held

The "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue is a framework launched in 2004 to promote regional cooperation that contributes to the resolution of common regional issues for the stability and development of Central Asia. The first Ministerial Economic and Energy Dialogue was held in 2023 under Japan's leadership as part of this framework.

In the previous dialogue, the ministers agreed to maintain their commitment to the Paris Agreement to combat climate change and to hold discussions on accelerating energy transition projects using the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) and public-private financing.

In this second dialogue, Minister Muto reported that a " Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality for Central Asia " (hereinafter referred to as the “Roadmap”) had been compiled in consultation with the relevant ministries of each country based on the cooperation policy outlined in the joint statement from the previous dialogue. From Central Asia, the following participants joined the discussions, accompanied by their respective ambassadors to Japan: H.E. Mr. Taalaibek Ibraev, Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan (in-person); as well as H.E. Mr. Yerlan Akkenzhenov, Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan; H.E. Mr. Daler Juma, Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan; H.E. Mr. Maksat Babayev, State Minister and Chairman of Turkmengas, Turkmenistan; and Mr. Bakhtiyor Mamatkarimov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan (online).

The participants welcomed the Roadmap and shared their respective efforts and directions for combating climate change in Central Asian countries. They reaffirmed the importance of utilizing a range of decarbonization technologies tailored to the circumstances of each country, and the potential for diverse forms of cooperation, including the JCM and public-private financing. Additionally, they confirmed their intention to continue discussions on concrete cooperation projects that contribute to the energy transition, in coordination with the Roadmap. A chair's statement was adopted as an outcome of the discussions (not for public release).

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Related Link

• Establishment of Ministerial Economic and Energy Dialogue of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue

Divisions in Charge

• Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus Office, Trade Policy Bureau

• Global Environmental Affairs Office, GX Policy Group, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau