Last week, Ashgabat hosted a two-day online seminar "Management approach and tools for protecting oil and gas infrastructure from natural and man-made disasters", organized by the OSCE.

 The event was attended by officials from the Main Directorate of Civil Defense and Rescue of the Ministry of Defense and specialists from the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies, oil and gas departments and other competent institutions of Turkmenistan, according to a press release of the OSCE Center.

 “Reducing the risk of natural disasters, including their destructive impact on strategically important infrastructure facilities, is an extremely important aspect of international cooperation”, - Natalya Drozd, head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat said.

 The seminar introduced the participants to international standards and best practices in assessing potential risks and developing effective measures to prevent and respond to accidents in the oil and gas sector.

 An overview of the provisions related to the protection of the environment during the construction of oil and gas wells, as well as international standards in the field of safety at the facilities of extraction and processing of natural resources was presented.

 International experts discussed with the participants of the seminar the introduction of mechanisms to protect the oil and gas infrastructure and the strengthening of energy security.  They shared their experience in the field of risk management in the sector of extraction, production, storage and transportation of oil and gas, as well as the application of emergency prevention measures related to accidents in the oil refining infrastructure, and the organization of response to emergencies.

 Among the issues discussed were measures to protect critical infrastructure from "cyber attacks" and the digital future of protecting the oil and gas industry.  A representative of the Office of the Coordinator for Economic and Environmental Activities of the OSCE presented the OSCE Information Platform Critical Energy Infrastructure, which is designed to facilitate cooperation on relevant issues between participating states.

 “Our seminar demonstrates the important role of strengthening cooperation and trust between the participating states, both at the interstate and interdepartmental levels, - N. Drozd added. - Interaction within the OSCE, which is the world's largest regional organization, has vast potential to counter emerging threats and assist in protecting the oil and gas complex from disasters”.