Turkmenistan opposes politicization of energy transportation
By Gulgiz Dadashova
Energy-rich Turkmenistan has opposed the politicization of energy transportation issues.
Politicization of energy transportation issues, using this tool as a political blackmail in interstate relations is inadmissible, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said in his statement on the country’s energy strategy.
Berdimuhamedov emphasized that one of the key aspects of Turkmenistan’s energy strategy is the diversification and expansion of the geography of export routes of supplying natural gas to the world markets, Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reports.
“The reliability and safety of international energy flows, legal security of energy supply routes have now become crucial," the president said.
Turkmenistan is one of the key players in the energy market of the resource-rich Caspian region. The Central Asian state has the world's fourth largest natural gas reserves after Russia, Iran, and Qatar, and produces about 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas each year.
The country’s total geological reserves are estimated at 71.21 billion metric tons of fuel equivalent, some 53.01 billion metric tons of which is the resource reserves of onshore fields, and 18.2 billion metric tons - offshore fields.
The president further stated a need for developing a generally acceptable universal approach to this problem. “It is necessary to stick to reasonable, economically feasible prices for energy transportation on transit areas,” Berdimuhamedov said.
“Turkmenistan’s position on this issue is firm and unchangeable - the prices for energy resources should be fair and economically feasible. Also, these prices should be formed based on clear and transparent principles. Their artificial overpricing or underpricing, politicization, price collusion and unfair lobbying are unacceptable.”
Under a program for oil and gas development, Turkmenistan’s annual natural gas production is planned to reach 250 billion cubic meters by 2030, mostly for export purposes.
Currently, domestic products are exported to more than 40 world countries, including Turkey, China, Russia, UAE, Iran, Germany, U.S., UK, Ukraine and Switzerland.
---
Follow Gulgiz Dadashova on Twitter: @GulgizD
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz