Iran’s regional energy diplomacy roadmap announced

TEHRAN- Iran’s Acting Oil Minister announced the approval and announcement of the document and roadmap for Iran’s regional energy diplomacy at the Strategic Headquarters for Regional Energy Trade and said: “Under this document, the country’s action plan in the areas of oil and petroleum products, gas, and petrochemicals has been drawn up with specific indicators.” In an interview with SHANA, Hamid Bovard, referring to the approval of the document and roadmap for the regional energy diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the Strategic Headquarters for Regional Energy Trade chaired by Mohammad Reza Aref, First Vice President, stated: “This document was prepared under the guidance of the Oil Ministry and in implementation of paragraph (T) of Article 44 of the Seventh Development Plan Law, and was announced after approval by this headquarters.”

Referring to the executive approach of the said document, he added: “Based on the regional energy diplomacy roadmap, Iran’s specific action plan in the areas of oil, gas, refining, and petrochemicals has been drawn up with a set of indicators so that actions related to regional energy trade are pursued within a coordinated framework and in line with market developments.” The acting oil minister, explaining the indicators envisaged in this document, said: “Private-sector activity in regional energy trade for the first time, attention to technical developments in the regional and global energy market, the link between energy trade and the country’s domestic issues, technopolitics issues, and diplomatic and strategic marketing and market-making are among the important indicators considered in drafting the action plan.”

Bovard, emphasizing the importance of private-sector participation in developing regional energy trade, stated: “In this framework, the capacity of non-governmental actors alongside government sectors has been taken into account, and developments in regional and global energy markets will also be considered in drafting and revising action plans.” He recalled: “Attention to the link between energy trade and domestic issues, examination of technopolitics dimensions, and use of diplomatic and strategic marketing and market-making capacities are also among the axes pursued in implementing this roadmap.”

The acting oil minister explained the executive and supervisory mechanism of this document: “Based on the division of labor carried out, the Deputy for Planning of the Oil Ministry has been designated as the specialized secretariat of the Strategic Headquarters for Regional Energy Trade, and the Institute for International Energy Studies of the Oil Ministry is responsible for the permanent center of working groups for monitoring actions and drafting flexible energy diplomacy programs.”

He continued: “This mechanism has been envisaged with the aim of continuously monitoring actions, receiving feedback, and drafting programs appropriate to developments in the energy sector at 3- and 6-month intervals so that the country’s executive programs are updated in line with the conditions and developments of regional energy markets.” Bovard, referring to the importance of continuity of this process, emphasized: “For the first time in the country, actions of various energy sectors with the participation of governmental and non-governmental actors in the field of energy trade will be continuously regulated and implemented, and feedback, reporting, and problem-solving processes will also be pursued in this mechanism.”

MA