Iran Adopts Int'l Energy Charter

Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian signed the International Energy Charter declaration in a conference in Tokyo, adopting the 25-year-old non-binding agreement alongside Iraq and Guatemala on Friday.

Chitchian signed the charter on the sidelines of the 27th Meeting of the Energy Charter Conference in the Japanese capital which takes place on Nov. 25-26, IRNA reported.

The International Energy Charter is a declaration of political intention aiming at strengthening energy cooperation between the signatory states and does not bear any legally binding obligation or financial commitment. It is aimed to promote mutually beneficial energy cooperation among nations for the sake of energy security and sustainability.

The ceremony extended the overall number of countries and organizations that signed the International Energy Charter to 80. The International Energy Charter declaration was adopted and signed at the high-level Ministerial Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands on 20 May 2015. Chitchian who arrived in Japan on Thursday met with Keiichi Ishii, the country's minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism. He was also  to be briefed on Yokohama Smart City Project, an initiative to establish overseas expansion of Japan's smart grid, and also tour the city's advanced water treatment plant.