Putin: The Global Energy Security System Should be Listed as a Strategic Task of the G8

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently wrote an article saying that as the rotating chairman of the G8, Russia hopes to include the establishment of a global energy security system as one of the strategic tasks of the G8.

On the evening of February 28, the Russian Presidential Information Service distributed the full text of the article written by Putin to mainstream media around the world. Putin said in the article that energy has now become an important driving force for global economic development and social progress. During its tenure as the rotating chair of the G8, Russia is committed to formulating basic principles for solving problems in the energy field and a unified global energy policy for the future.

Putin said instability in the world's oil and gas markets poses a real threat to global energy supplies. Maintaining world energy security requires the joint efforts of the entire international community. He believes that the global energy strategy should reflect the principles of ensuring long-term stable supply of energy at reasonable prices. In addition, while ensuring a stable supply of traditional energy products, the international community should also actively adopt energy-saving technologies and vigorously develop new energy sources.

Putin said that Russia advocates that the Group of Eight and the international community work together to develop new technologies to provide technical guarantee for maintaining future global energy security when existing energy development potential is increasingly exhausted. He said that in order to consolidate global energy security, the Group of Eight adopted an action plan last year with innovation, energy conservation and environmental protection as its main content. He suggested that countries outside the G8 also actively participate in the implementation of this plan.

Talking about the main topics of the G8 this year, Putin said that ensuring global energy security, preventing and controlling infectious diseases, and developing education will become the three main topics discussed by the G8 this year. In addition, Russia also proposed to include issues such as combating international terrorism, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, environmental protection, world economic development and resolving regional conflicts on the G8 agenda this year.

The G8 members include the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada and Russia. Russia succeeded the United Kingdom as the rotating chair of the G8 in January this year and will host the G8 summit in St. Petersburg this summer.