Geopolitical instability, fluctuating oil, gas prices affect energy supply to Central Asia - Kazakh energy minister

ASTANA. Aug 6 (Interfax) - Fluctuating oil and gas prices and geopolitical crises endanger a stable energy supply to Central Asia, Kazakh Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev said.

"A main challenge facing us [Central Asia] is a certain [amount of] turbulence in the stable supply of energy. Fluctuating oil and gas prices and other factors, including geopolitical ones, lead to uncertainty in the energy supply, which guarantees regional and national security," Satkaliyev said at the first meeting of Central Asian energy ministers in Astana.

Global strategic stability has "a strategic significance" for all countries and includes "the provision of a stable and reliable energy supply, the effective use of resources, the protection of infrastructure, and a stable energy system," he said.

"Seeking to ensure the reliability of the energy supply, we take joint measures to elaborate mechanisms for predicting and managing such challenges and bolster energy cooperation between our states. The Central Asian region is an important link in the provision of a stable global energy supply," Satkaliyev said.