Brussels, 28/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European commissioner for energy, Andris Piebalgs, accompanied by the Turkmenistan president, Gurbankuly Berdymuhammedov, signed a protocol for an agreement on Monday 26 May. This agreement aims to strengthen cooperation in the energy arena. It also officialises bilateral cooperation on energy in areas that include investment, production, energy technologies, energy efficiency, renewable energies, transport, and energy product trade between the EU and Turkmenistan (where Mr Piebalgs has been having a short visit). The Commission has signed similar protocols with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. By strengthening its relations on energy matters with Turkmenistan, the Commission has confirmed its strategy to promote, in cooperation with its regional partners, a new energy corridor based on the Caspian axis - the Black Sea. As part of its strategy towards Central Asia, the EU is cooperating with Turkmenistan in a broad range of areas, such as education, the environment and economic development. (O.L.)