Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan's strategic partner in building gas pipeline to China
By Aynur Jafarova
Turkmenistan views Kyrgyzstan as a strategic partner in the construction of a new gas pipeline to China, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said after talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev, who is on a two-day official visit to Ashgabat, a source close to the negotiations told Trend Agency on November 11.
"We view Kyrgyzstan as a strategic partner in the construction of a new pipeline route called Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan-China," Berdymukhamedov noted.
He also said the condition for the development of the region is to guarantee a stable transportation of energy resources from Central Asia to international markets.
Ashgabat and Bishkek are involved in a major project to supply gas to China from the region of Central Asia, primarily from Turkmenistan.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has bought gas from the region since 2009, after the commissioning of the first two branches of the pipeline (A and B) from Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. A third branch (C) of the gas pipeline, which also passes through this route, has been recently commissioned.
Currently, works are underway on the construction of the fourth branch (D) under the new transit route through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The construction of an additional branch is connected with the fact that Beijing has a long-term agreement with Turkmenistan to increase deliveries in 2020 up to 65 billion cubic meters of gas. Construction of a new branch (D) is scheduled for completion in 2016.
In September 2014, the Director General of the pipeline project Liu Tao said in an interview with the Chinese Zhenminvan that the total length of the branch D will be about 1,000 kilometers.
Later, the two Central Asian countries signed a package of intergovernmental agreements following the top level talks.
The signed documents include a treaty of friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation; an agreement on an intergovernmental commission on trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation; an agreement in the transport sector; an agreement between the chambers of commerce; an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in tax legislation compliance; an agreement in the field of counteracting the legalization (laundering) of proceeds obtained from crimes and a number of other documents.
After signing ceremony, President Berdymukhamedov stressed that there is a great capacity for mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation.
President Atambayev said that Turkmenistan has expressed willingness to supply 700 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year and raise it to one billion kilowatt-hours or more in future.