Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Dec.13 / Trend , H.Hasanov /
The presidents of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China - Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Islam Karimov, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Hu Jintao - discussed issues of regional partnerships, particularly in the field of energy, in Ashgabat.
The formal reason for the regional meeting is a short-term joint project.
The opening ceremony of a pipeline is scheduled today, which will have an annual capacity of 40 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan to China via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
With the opening of the new pipeline, a serious energy alternative will appear for the first time in the region. Earlier the Central Asian gas transport system was mostly closed thanks to Russia, which for many years purchased the bulk volume of gas exports. The new pipeline costing roughly $8 billion was built by the Chinese Development Bank.
"Just look at the map to see how the new version of the energy corridor, which allows Turkmen gas resources to be brought to a perspective energy market in China. It is indisputable and safe from all points of view," the Turkmen Dovlet Kheberleri news agency reported.
"This is a landmark in the history of steadily developing intergovernmental relations," the Neutralniy Turkmenistan newspaper reported.
According to a Turkmen state press service, the sides discussed regional and international issues, as well as prospects of further economic, trade and cultural development.
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