Second Asian Ministerial Roundtable
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The Second Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable was held in Riyadh on 2 May 2007 hosted by H.E. Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia and co-hosted by H.E. Akira Amari, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. "Promoting Prosperity through Energy Interdependence and Co-operation" was the theme of the Roundtable, which was attended by Ministers responsible for energy in seventeen East, South and West Asian countries - Bahrain, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand and UAE – along with heads of the IEA, OPEC and IEF Secretariats.
The concluding Joint Statement by Saudi Arabia and Japan, issued in IEF tradition on their own host and co-host responsibility, recognizes the growing importance of Asia in both the global economy and global energy market as well as the importance of bringing Asian dimensions to bear on efforts to deepen the global dialogue in the IEF. It calls for greater co-operation and co-ordination among and between Asian energy exporters and importers within the bilateral, regional and global context. Underscoring the need for investments and supporting cross-national investments, the statement also confirms support to the Joint Oil Data Initiative.
The First Roundtable of Asian Ministers on Regional Co-operation was convened by India in New Delhi in January 2005, facilitated by the IEF Secretariat and co-hosted by Kuwait. That First Roundtable of Ministers of the principal East Asian oil and gas importing countries and the principal West Asian (Gulf) oil and gas exporting countries was supplemented by an additional Roundtable of Ministers of the principal East Asian oil and gas importing countries and the principal North and Central Asian oil and gas exporting countries convened by India, co-hosted by the Russian Federation and facilitated by the IEF Secretariat in New Delhi in November 2005.
The 3rd Roundtable of Asian Ministers will be hosted by Japan and co-hosted by Qatar, and facilitated by the IEF Secretariat at a date to be determined later.
