ASHGABAT - The European Union and United States are voicing support for the project to build a Trans-Caspian gas pipeline that would carry gas from Turkmenistan to the European market.
The U.S. supports the project to build the Trans-Caspian pipeline on
which Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and the EU are holding negotiations,
Lynne Trace, deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central
Asia, said at the Turkmenistan International Oil and Gas Conference –
OGT 2012 in Ashgabat.
She said that the decision of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan to build
the pipeline, which would run under the Caspian Sea only through the
waters of these countries, cannot be vetoed by another country.
The EU representative for Central Asia, Patricia Flor said the
construction of the pipeline would not only give Turkmenistan access to
new export markets, but also bring substantial European investment into
the Central Asian country.
Tracy and Flor praised Turkmen President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhammedov’s strategy for developing the country’s oil and gas
sector, which calls for building an extensive network of export
pipelines, and voiced support for Turkmenistan’s international
initiatives in the area of ensuring global energy security, one of the
aspects of which is observing the interests of all parties in the
negotiation process – sellers, buyers and transit nations.
Turkmenistan has repeatedly said it is prepared to consider this
project, which promises to greatly benefit the country, in detail.
“Turkmenistan, which as a rule sells its gas at the border, is capable
of ensuring its export supplies in any volume,” Berdymukhammedov said.
