The energy ministers of the member states of the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) today signed a joint declaration in Tashkent, in which their countries pledged to develop and implement a common energy strategy before 2030, the Uzbekistan Ministry of Energy said.

The signing took place as part of the first dialogue of energy ministers of the CAREC member countries.

The declaration consists of nine clauses and includes the commitment of countries to develop a common energy strategy until 2030, collaborating to achieve UNSD goal No. 7 : Affordable and clean energy. The participants to the declaration also pledged to double the electricity generation from solar and wind energy by 2023, as well as to create legal framework promoting investment in the energy sector.

The declaration was signed ahead of the UN Summit on Sustainable Development Goals, which will be held in New York on September 24–25, the statement added.

The new CAREC 2030 energy strategy is being developed in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank. The goal of the strategy is to create reliable, stable, sustainable and reformed energy markets in the region by 2030.

“Now, the governments of Central Asian countries have big ambitions. Uzbekistan is committed to a financially and environmentally sustainable energy industry. We look forward to working with other countries of the CAREC region and international capital markets to achieve our goals,” said the Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan Alisher Sultanov.

The CAREC Program was created at the initiative of the Asian Development Bank in 2001 and is a partnership of 11 countries and promotes development through cooperation for economic growth and shared prosperity. Member countries include Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.