The Advanced Regional Energy Security Symposium 2022 – Regional Cooperation: the Caucasus and Central Asia was kicked off on September 19. 

The event was organized by the Institute for Development and Diplomacy of ADA University in partnership with NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence, the Naval Postgraduate School, bp Azerbaijan, and State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). 
 
Vice Rector of ADA University and Director of IDD, Dr. Fariz Ismailzade, a representative from Naval Postgraduate School, Brenda Shaffer, and Deputy Director of Energy Academic Group at Naval Postgraduate School, Alan Howard gave welcoming remarks at Symposium. 

The keynote speakers of the event were Elnur Soltanov, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Vitaliy Baylarbayov, Deputy Vice-President of SOCAR for Investments and Marketing, and Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, bp’s vice president of communications and external affairs. 

On the first day of the Symposium, Brenda Shaffer and Alan Howard gave lectures and made presentations about energy geopolitics and security, as well as the main threats in this direction. The lecture was followed by a group work conducted by Charles Jay Lee, a representative from the Naval Postgraduate School.

The Symposium, which will last for 3 days, will continue with presentations, discussions, group works, case studies, and exercises led by Taleh Ziyadov, Director-General of Port of Baku, Jeyhun Ture from the NATO Energy Security Center, Alparslan Bayraktar, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Elshad Nasirov, Vice President for Investments and Marketing, State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) as well as the other distinguished representatives from the Naval Postgraduate School and SOCAR.

It should be noted that the main goal of the Symposium, which brings together high-caliber professionals from official institutions representing Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Central Asian states, is to increase awareness of regional energy security through regional and interagency coordination, as well as a public-private partnership, and to strengthen sustainability in cooperation for that purpose.