Turkmenistan intends to develop partnership with CNPC in oil and gas sector

ASHGABAT. March 19 (Interfax) - Turkmen People's Council Chairman Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has discussed cooperation in the gas sector with the chairman of the board of directors of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Dai Houliang during a visit to China, the newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan reported on Thursday.

Turkmenistan attaches particular importance to developing friendly relations with China, Berdimuhamedow said. He confirmed the intention to further develop the partnership with CNPC in the oil and gas industry and proposed holding an international scientific and practical conference this year on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan's cooperation with its Chinese partner.

The meeting noted that the result of this cooperation included, among other things, the implementation of a joint project to build a gas pipeline ensuring the supply of Turkmen gas to China. The importance of the agreements reached on the next stage of development of the Galkynysh field was also noted. According to Berdimuhamedow, the phased development of this field has made it possible to create thousands of new jobs.

Berdimuhamedow also emphasized the strategic importance of the Afghan section of the Serhetabat-Herat pipeline, which is an important part of the transnational Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.

During the meeting, Dai expressed gratitude to the leadership of Turkmenistan for creating favorable investment conditions in the country, which is one of the largest in the world in terms of natural gas reserves.

Dai confirmed his readiness to develop cooperation with Turkmenistan in the fuel and energy sector and gave the assurance that the corporation he heads will take a responsible approach to fulfilling its partnership obligations.