At the initiative of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus were deprived of observer status in the Energy Charter

At the initiative of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus were deprived of observer status in the Energy Charter.

This is stated on the website of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.

The parties to the Energy Charter have stripped Russia and Belarus of their observer status in the community, and have suspended the Treatyʼs application to the Energy Charter for Belarus.

The relevant decisions were adopted at a special session of the Energy Charter Conference held on 24 June in Brussels.

These issues were included in the agenda of the session at the insistence of the Ukrainian side, presented at the meeting by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.

After the full-scale military invasion of the territory of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine has repeatedly initiated the deprivation of Russia of observer status in the Energy Charter, as well as the suspension of the temporary application of the Treaty to the Energy Charter for Belarus.

The Energy Charter Treaty is a multilateral agreement signed by about 60 countries, as well as the EU.

The Charter establishes the basic principles of cooperation, in particular in the field of protection of foreign investments, establishes transit rules for energy systems, and mechanisms for resolving disputes between contracting parties, investors, and host countries.

Russia and Belarus have signed the Energy Charter Treaty, but have not ratified it. At the same time, Belarus applied the Treaty temporarily.