Magzum Mirzagaliyev

Dear colleagues!

On behalf of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I would like to welcome the participants in the World Energy Week global platform to be held by the World Energy Council in Nur-Sultan city, which is the very heart of Eurasia.

We are proud that exactly this year Kazakhstan has the honor of hosting this event, being of great strategic importance for the entire Eurasian region and the world. This is particularly important at this time, following a major test of strength that the world’s energy industry is now passing through.

The XIV KAZENERGY Eurasian Forum will become the most important platform for the organization of the regional energy dialogue, as it has proven its ability to bring together and establish the conditions for finding the correct solutions and a sensible long-term balance.

Now we face long-term challenges, more severe than any we had before, related to the future of our civilization, which includes ensuring the necessary access to energy resources, stable supplies of oil and gas to consumers across all continents, reliability of energy-generating capacities for continued development, as well as conditions for protecting the environment.

The pandemic caused an enormous negative impact on the development of all branches of the economy and, above all, on the oil and gas industry, with all production countries experiencing its consequences. The past year has made it clear to us how vulnerable the world is to these challenges, which can only be overcome by joining our efforts.

Although the price of a barrel is steadily recovering, the oil demand dynamics still remain unequal for different countries. In 2021, the world and Kazakhstan’s oil and gas industry will have to operate in conditions of continued production restrictions and increased competition on foreign markets.

The implementation of major projects on gasification of the regions of Kazakhstan will continue, the controversy about decarbonization of the Kazakhstani economy in the framework of the recent accession to the Paris Climate Agreement will become more acute, the low-carbon development policy in the light of the scheduled introduction of a border carbon tax in the European Union will become more intense.

Kazakhstan is organizing serious practical discussions at the platform of the World Energy Week and the XIV KAZENERGY Eurasian Forum, focusing on the ways to improve energy and speed up the transformation of energy systems around the world. We are ready to share our own experience in raising considerable investments from international financial institutions in the creation of infrastructure and to discuss the key aspects of the environmental and climate agendas. We are open to cooperation and express our willingness to adopt global experience from leading energy and oil and gas corporations on all issues of the industry.

I am confident that the World Energy Week and the XIV KAZENERGY Eurasian Forum will yet again confirm the status of a unique industry event and the largest and most advanced business platform for discussing pressing topics of the global and regional economy. The arrangements and agreements that have been reached in the capital of Kazakhstan will contribute to the development of international relations and will promote the implementation of new projects for the benefit of our nations and peoples.

Respectfully yours,

Magzum Mirzagaliyev,
Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan