Strasbourg, 19/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Following Azerbaijan on Thursday, José Manuel Barroso obtained confirmation from Turkmenistan on Saturday supporting the pan-European Southern Corridor gas project and the Nabucco pipeline. Although the commitment from Baku is based on a long-term gas agreement with the EU, the agreement with Ashgabat is at this stage only a declaration of intent.
During the European Commission president's visit to Ashgabat on 14 and 15 January, Turkmenistan said it was prepared (through the voice of President Gourbangouly Berdymoukhamedov) to supply Europe with gas. At the end of his meeting with Barroso, the president of Turkmenistan said: “We are prepared to work pro-actively on the European project. To this end, all the conditions are in place, as well as the supply resources. From a commercial, financial and infrastructure point of view, the most attractive aspect is the construction of a gas pipeline at the bottom of the Caspian Sea”. Nevertheless, the president of Turkmenistan did not mention that other hydrocarbon rich Caspian Sea neighbouring countries had failed to agree on their maritime borders and on the ecological impact of an under-the-sea gas pipeline. Berdymoukhamedov added: “Our partnership with the EU in the gas domain is a priority. Technical, commercial and financial aspects linked to the completion of this project have to be subject to a far-reaching examination by the experts. The results of this work will in future be backed up by agreements and contracts”. Barroso was pleased to announce: “We are ready to buy gas from Turkmenistan. We have held concrete talks about the trans-Caspian gas pipeline and we welcome the declarations made by Mr Berdymoukhamedov regarding his determination to see this project through. This pipeline is important for Europe's gas supply. We can offer Turkmenistan a stable market, with large companies, investment and advanced technology”. He also provided assurances to Turkmenistan that the EU would support its bid to join the WTO. The Commission president explained that this would “exert a positive influence on the economic development of the country and its investment attractiveness”.
Turkmenistan is very much sought after for its energy-rich environment and the country is seeking to diversify its gas export routes, which are still very dependent on Russia. This former USSR republic has the fourth biggest gas reserves in the world, which are evaluated by its authorities at more than 20 trillion m³. Turkmenistan intends to triple its current annual production of 70,000,000 m³ to 230,000,000 m³ a year. 180,000,000 m³ of this production would go to exports. In November, the Turkmenistan authorities explained that their country could provide 40,000,000 m³ of gas a year to the EU. This volume of gas would be enough to supply the Nabucco gas pipeline on its own, whose annual capacity is expected to reach 31 billion m³. The commitment from Turkmenistan, however, has continually run hot and cold over recent months with regard to its involvement in the pan-European project and needs to be set in marble through a cooperation agreement with the EU. (E.H./transl.fl)