Russia is partner to be trusted

"Russia has acquired a reputation of a partner that can be trusted. This confidence is increasing every year." This statement was made in a report of the advisor from the Japanese company Mitsui, Japan's former ambassador to the Russian Federation Takehiro Togo.

Takehiro Togo took part in the international symposium "Energy Security and Sustainable Development in Northeast Asia: Prospects for Cooperation" which finished on Thursday in the Russian Far East's largest industrial center of Khabarovsk.

The Mitsui representative as well as other participants believe that Russia and its eastern regions can become a promising and reliable source of energy for the whole of northeastern Asia. Moreover, this will make it possible to relieve many countries from the tough dependence on the Middle East, said Takehiro Togo.

Major organizers of the international symposium were the Economic Research Institute of Northeast Asia and the Khabarovsk regional government. The symposium gathered delegations of scientists, economists, representatives of federal and local authorities from Russia's Far East, Japan, the USA, North Korea, South Korea, China and an observer from Thailand.

At plenary sessions and "round-table" meetings that lasted for three days the participants discussed possibilities and prospects for reliable energy and heating supplies to developing industries and regional population.

The symposium also saw a detailed discussion of the trends common for all countries like energy efficiency and new technologies, political aspects of energy cooperation as well as separate countries' problems, for example, a combined gas cycle for dwelling houses in cold climates.

Almost every speech contained an opinion about the necessity of taking measures on environmental protection while developing new deposits and pipelining.