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Energy meeting in Istanbul seeks sustainable way to meet growing demand

Xinhua, April 27, 2017 Adjust font size:

Representatives from the energy sector met in Istanbul on Thursday over how to meet the world's growing demand for energy in a sustainable way.

"The economy is growing and our energy needs are very obvious," U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said at a meeting hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank based in Washington.

"The U.S. is committed to ensuring universal access to affordable and reliable energy to promote economic growth and energy security," Perry remarked. "For this reason, we are focused on developing all sources of energy."

He stressed the importance of traditional sources like coal, gas and nuclear as well as renewables. "All will be needed for energy and economy security in the foreseeable future," he said.

The secretary pledged that the Trump administration will issue policies to accelerate progress in all sorts of energy.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, noted that the energy sector has been going through major transformations and the meeting is set to provide a solid platform for discussions in detail.

"We are witnessing many transformations such as the development of solar energy, the inclusion of wind in the system and the reduction of the costs of renewable energy sources," he said.

Referring to the fact that Russia, the Caspian countries, Iran and the Gulf countries account for 70 percent of global resources, Birol spoke of Turkey's "very advantageous position" in transporting the oil and gas to the established markets as in Europe and the emerging markets as in Asia.

Frederick Kempe, president and chief executive of the Atlantic Council, highlighted the importance of developing comprehensive regional energy partnerships.

"We will focus on growth that will be handled with the topics of peace, stability, prosperity and economic integration," he said. "And the regional energy partnerships will be at the center of all of them."

Representatives of energy companies from 45 countries, during their two-day meeting, will also discuss the issues of strengthening regional business alliances, trade in the Eastern Mediterranean region, diversifying European natural gas supply and sustainable energy enlargement. Endit