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rom a long list of areas in which cooperation can be fostered, energy and food security issues have risen to prominence at the first Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit and its related meetings in Kuwait City.

Indonesia, as a co-prime mover in the energy sector, has proposed an ACD Energy Action Plan to attain enhanced regional energy security and sustainable energy resources and technologies.

“The Action Plan shall enable ACD members to build a cohesive cooperation forum that will ensure the institutionalization and materialization of energy cooperation in Asia,” Indonesia’s National Energy Council deputy secretary general Saleh Abdurrahman, who represented Indonesia at the ACD ministerial meeting, told Indonesian journalists.

“We would like to reactivate the whole process for energy cooperation in Asia through our proposal”.

The action plan, according to Saleh, would contain four thematic core areas of cooperation with the intention to enhance energy security.

The first area would be the development and utilization of renewable energy sources and alternative fuels, the second would be exploration, development and utilization of indigenous energy resources using efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, the third would be the promotion of energy efficiency and conservation programs and the forth would be establishing regional energy infrastructure and network linkages.

If approved by all members, the plan would last for three years, starting from 2013.

The host country, Kuwait, is very enthusiastic about energy security in Asia. Kuwait is currently producing 3 million barrels of oil per day, mostly exporting to Asian countries, including Indonesia.

“Asia is the biggest producer of oil as well as the biggest consumer. So we must work together to attain energy security,” Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al Sabah said during a press conference on Sunday night.

The cooperation with Kuwait, a major oil producer, is important for Indonesia, which has become a net importer of oil in recent years.

Based on the data from Central Statistics Agency, Indonesia bought US$ 1.42 billion worth of oil and gas products from Kuwait in the first seven months of this year, a huge jump from $607.60 million during the same period last year. In 2011, Indonesia imported $1.19 billion worth of oil and gas products from Kuwait.

“Kuwait is very much interested in cooperating in the energy sector with Indonesia. It also wants to invest in the oil and gas sector,” Indonesian Ambassador to Kuwait Ferry Adamhar said on Sunday.

The ACD, an informal forum of 32 countries, was established as an initiative of the then Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to enhance mutual cooperation among various Asian countries in several sectors.