Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Turkmenistan is discussing the opportunities of its gas supplies to Europe with Azerbaijan, Turkey and the European Union, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has said.

"An effective form of cooperation with the EU has been created," the president said at the OSCE conference titled "Energy security and sustainable development - the OSCE perspective", which was held in Ashgabat on October 17-18.

"At this stage, substantive work is being done to establish legal framework for the implementation of a project on natural gas supply from Turkmenistan to Europe in the future."

Berdymukhamedov also said a joint committee of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and the EU is working in this area.

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, two Caspian littoral countries, are interested in the use of alternative routes for the transportation of energy resources from the resource-rich Caspian region to European markets.

Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov believes that a project on supplying Turkmen gas to Europe is quite realistic and Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and the EU are doing substantive work in a trilateral format to draft a document on main principles of gas supply from the Caspian region to Europe.

There are no direct arrangements yet for the implementation of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project aimed at supplying gas to the European market.

The Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline running around 300 kilometers will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, where it will be linked to the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline's capacity is 30-40 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

Talks on the construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline between Turkmenistan, the EU and other countries have been held since the late 1990s. The negotiation process intensified after the EU issued a mandate to start negotiations on the preparation of an agreement between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on the Trans-Caspian project in September 2011.

Ashgabat believes that the agreement between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, the territories of which are covered by the project, is sufficient for laying a pipe under the Caspian Sea. Baku has expressed readiness to provide its territory, transit opportunities and infrastructure for its implementation, as reported by representatives of Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR.

Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said earlier that drafting of two documents under the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project is drawing to a close and they must be signed by Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan's presidents and head of the European Commission, as well as the governments of the two littoral countries.

The first document will feature the support to the project by the three sides, while the second one is to be signed between the Azerbaijani and Turkmen governments.

The minister noted that Turkmenistan has expressed its support for the project implementation. This means the Turkmen side is ready to deliver around 30 billion cubic meters of gas for the project. In turn, Azerbaijan is ready to ensure all suitable conditions for the transportation of Turkmen gas.

SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov believes that Azerbaijan will only benefit from transportation of gas through the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline.

"Implementation of this project will make Azerbaijan not only a supplier of gas, but also a transit country. This is a very ambitious project for the EU," Nasirov said.

According to Nasirov, implementation of the Trans Caspian pipeline project will be possible as soon as Turkmenistan and partners from the EU agree on gas sales.

Caspian Sea protection

President Berdymukhamedov said special attention should be paid to the protection of natural resources of the Caspian Sea.

"Our common goal is to combine objective economic interests and realities of the international partnership in the energy sector with the necessity to protect the biodiversity of the Caspian Sea, to prevent the disturbance of the fragile ecological balance," the president said.

According to him, the unique biological complex of the water reservoir itself and its coastal zones is the wealth of the entire humanity and it therefore requires special attention of the international community.

The Turkmen president also said that the Caspian Sea region is increasingly turning into one of the largest world centers of production and transportation of hydrocarbons.

Speaking at the mentioned event, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara stressed the central role of energy in addressing major challenges.

"The Ukrainian chairmanship of the OSCE attaches great importance to enhancing energy security and sustainability in the OSCE region, as they are crucial to regional stability and play a key role in supporting economic development and national security," Kozhara said.

According to him, the regional cooperation is essential for the development of a robust and reliable energy sector.

Kozhara welcomed Turkmenistan's recent initiatives that culminated with the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolutions on reliable and stable transit of energy.

"Energy efficiency is an immediate and effective option with multiple benefits, such as reducing adverse environmental and health impacts, enhancing energy security, and creating jobs and economic opportunities," Kozhara said.

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said in remarks regarding energy challenges in the world, "While energy issues risk becoming a potential source of tension, they also offer many opportunities for fruitful cooperation between energy suppliers, consumers and transit countries."

He commended Turkmenistan's strong commitment to promoting international energy cooperation and stressed that the OSCE's comprehensive, multi-dimensional and inclusive approach to security, as well as the organization's broad and diverse membership, offer distinct advantages for the OSCE to advance dialogue and cooperation on energy issues.

Zannier also outlined possible areas where the OSCE can be more involved, including through promoting wider public support for government action in the energy sector, encouraging the use of environment-friendly technologies, facilitating exchange of sustainable energy solutions and engaging with all stakeholders.

The key topics of the conference organized by Ukraine's OSCE Chairmanship and the Government of Turkmenistan were the development of the robust and reliable energy sector, stable transit of energy, promotion of sustainable energy solutions and energy efficiency.

The two-day conference brought together more than 120 representatives of the OSCE participating states and partners, high-level officials from relevant ministries and agencies, representatives of international, regional and non-governmental organizations, as well as experts from the business sector and academia.