Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Dec.1 / Trend, H. Hasanov /
The U.S. supports Turkmenistan's initiative on ensuring global energy security, U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said in Ashgabat, the Turkmen government said on Thursday.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov received senior U.S. official.
The U.S. diplomat said that the U.S. supports Turkmenistan's international initiatives aimed at seeking optimal solutions to urgent problems, ensuring global energy security.
In particular, Blake stressed that "United States appreciates the leadership of Turkmenistan in ensuring stability and sustainable development in Central Asian region and, in particular, on supporting the socio-economic reconstruction of Afghanistan".
He also said that "the U.S. government welcomes Ashgabat's leading role in promoting the project of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline".
At the same time "huge importance of the transnational project, designed to become a reliable link between the states of the region, to promote their effective economic integration and to contribute to recovery of the Afghan economy and improving the social situation in this country" was stressed.
The Asian Development Bank actively promotes this project funding the preparation of its feasibility study.
The basic document to advance TAPI project is an inter-state agreement to start implementation of TAPI, signed at a high level in Ashgabat in December 2010.
At this stage, the parties interested in the project agree on the security of transit, decide issues of funding and fuel prices.
The length of TAPI can hit more than 1,700 km, its design capacity - 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, the cost is estimated at $7-8 billion.
The source of raw materials in addition to the Dovletabad field will be Yoloten field - one of the world's super-giants with the resources of 21.2 trillion cubic meters of gas. Turkmenistan takes active measures for its commercial development.
The report also says that Blake conveyed the U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's greetings, as well as congratulations on the upcoming 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and the United States.
As Blake said "the U.S. attaches great importance to developing cooperation with Turkmenistan, which is a reliable, responsible and long-term partner".
At the meeting Berdimuhammadov stressed "high level of Turkmen-U.S. relations, built on constructive and long term principles".
Blake stressed "the great interest of the U.S. companies to strengthen the partnership with Turkmenistan." President Berdimuhammadov in turn, confirmed Ashgabat's willingness "to maintain and establish new contacts with the U.S. companies, large industrial, scientific and technological experience in this and other spheres".