An international expert-level meeting and the first international event to launch the Technical Guidelines for Protecting Critical Energy Infrastructure from Terrorist Attacks were held in Ashgabat on November 11-12. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

The event, organized by the Government of Turkmenistan jointly with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Government of the Russian Federation, is aimed at raising awareness of threats to energy infrastructure and engaging international experts in discussing best practices in this area.

The participants of the meeting reviewed the key aspects of protecting critical energy infrastructure and exchanged views on strengthening cooperation at the international level.  As noted, the UN General Assembly resolution of 19 December 2023, “The Key Role of Reliable and Stable Energy Connectivity in Ensuring Sustainable Development,” adopted at the initiative of Turkmenistan, envisages the consolidation of the efforts of the international community in overcoming energy crises and calls for ensuring the reliability and stability of cross-border supplies of energy resources.

The UN Global Programme to Protect Vulnerable Targets from Terrorist Threats, implemented jointly with a number of international organizations, has been supporting Member States since 2021 in building their capacity, developing networks between experts and identifying best practices in the field of protecting critical infrastructure.

The international event held in Ashgabat was the initial launch of the Technical Guidelines for Protecting Critical Energy Infrastructure from Terrorist Attacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan notes.