Putin Pines for "Asian Energy Club"

From The Moscow Times:

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday backed the creation of an Asian energy club to further develop economic cooperation between Russia, China and four Central Asian nations.

"I consider very timely the proposal to create the energy club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and to expand cooperation in the transport and communication sectors," Putin said at the group's annual summit in Shanghai, as quoted in the official transcript.

Created five years ago, the organization unites China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The summit was also attended by observers representing other Asian nations, including Iran, whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, welcomed Putin's proposal.

Interesting. More from the New York Times.

Technorati tags: Energy, Natural Gas, Russia, China, Shanghai Cooperation Council, Iran