The Committee will continue its meetings until 26 October 2017. The inaugural meeting was opened by Dr. Amir Hossein Zamaninia, Deputy Minister for Trade and International Affairs, Ministry of Petroleum, Michael Klor-Berchtold, German Ambassador to Iran, Mr. Hossein Esmaeli, General Director of Europe, American and Caspian Sea, Neighboring Countries, Ministry of Petroleum, and Ms. Ursula Borak, Deputy Director General for International Energy Policy, Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Energy, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
following is the script of Speech by German Ambassador to Iran, Michael Klor-Berchtold, on the occasion of the Inaugural Meeting of the German-Iranian Joint Energy Committee
Vice-Minister Zamaninia,
Mr. Esmaeli,
Ms. Borak,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you today at the Inaugural Meeting of the German-Iranian Energy Committee.
This meeting today is another example of the close cooperation between our two countries. It is one of the outcomes of the Joint German-Iranian Economic Commission which was held about one year ago for the first time in 15 years here in Tehran.
I am glad to see this action happening today, especially in the field of energy. The first German investments in Iran that I witnessed as German Ambassador were two solar plants in Hamedan.
These solar plants were the first substantial solar plants being installed in Iran. This German-Iranian project underlines our common goal of a secure, affordable and sustainable energy supply for our future economic development.
In this respect, we are fully in line with the international community. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development mentions the access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all as one of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In order to achieve our common goals we have to work together on the development of sustainable energy, modernization of conventional energy installations, energy efficiency, and the planning of energy transition.
Iran is among the countries with the largest hydrocarbon resources in the world. Anyhow, the Iranian government has clearly committed itself to promoting renewable energy.
In my view, this is the right path to follow. The international energy transition is in full swing. More is being invested worldwide in developing renewable energies than in conventional energy sources.
Germany is one of the front-runners of this development. The energy transition, we call it Energiewende, is one of our crucial political projects.
By now, we have managed to increase the share of renewable energies in electricity generation to more than one third and we are constantly working on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmental and climate protection are among the major challenges of today. We decide by our actions how future generations will live.
The 2015 Paris Climate agreement was a great success and laid the groundwork for further action. We all have to responsibility for future generations to fully implement this agreement.
Therefore I am very happy that Germany will host the next United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, the COP 23. The conference will start in about two weeks and I am delighted that a delegation from Iran will participate in this important event.
For today’s conference, you put together an impressive program. I wish all of you excellent and fruitful discussions!
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