The Energy Ministerial Conference that took place in Baku on 13 November 2004 was a milestone event in the development of the INOGATE Programme.
The conclusions reached at this Ministerial Conference initiated a fundamental transformation of the INOGATE Programme into a wider policy dialogue aiming at enhancing energy cooperation between the European Union, the littoral states of the Black and Caspian Seas and their neighbours countries. The process was referred to as the "Baku Initiative" as a result of this conference.
The 2nd Ministerial Conference took place on 30 November 2006 in Astana, Kazakhstan. At this meeting, the EU and the governments of the countries of the Caspian and Black Sea regions, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkey adopted the Energy Road Map that sets out a plan of action for an enhanced energy cooperation between all partners involved.
The Energy Road Map defines the objectives for the regional energy cooperation and sets out a plan of indicative actions to attain the long-term vision.