Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 22
By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:
Turkmenistan is interested in the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline project (TANAP), which aims at diversifying natural gas supplies to Europe. One can judge about this upon Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov's statement.
The president has recently told reporters that Ashgabat is negotiating with Baku and Ankara regarding the implementation of the European vector of its gas export.
"Turkmenistan sells gas to Russia, Iran and China and works to diversify its gas export," President Berdimuhamedov said.
"At present, we are holding the tripartite negotiations with Azerbaijan and Turkey," the president said. "I hope that we will come to an agreement. This will be another step towards the implementation of the European vector."
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that TANAP project could also count on Turkmen gas supplies to Europe.
"TANAP can transport gas both from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan via Turkey to Europe," the Turkish president said during his visit to Ashgabat in November 2014.
Following the Turkish president's talks with the Turkmen counterpart in Ashgabat, Turkmengas state concern and Turkish Atagas company signed a framework agreement on cooperation in natural gas purchase and sale.
When talking about construction of a pipeline to Europe, the most optimal route would be laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea to the coast of Azerbaijan, which has at its disposal an appropriate infrastructure for the re-export of Turkmenistan's gas to Turkey and further to Europe.
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is ready to offer a diversified system of oil and gas pipelines, infrastructure and other opportunities to Turkmenistan for the implementation of projects in the oil and gas sphere, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said during the Turkmenistan Oil and Gas Conference 2014 in Ashgabat on Nov.18.
Meanwhile, Vice-President for Energy Union of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic said that Brussels noticed "a growing interest of Turkmenistan for the development of relations in this area."
He said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper that since 2011, the European Commission has a mandate to negotiate within the framework of a memorandum of understanding with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on laying Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.
"We offered Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to upgrade this memorandum, and waiting for an answer, to see how the negotiations will go," he said.
Turkmenistan's joining the TANAP gas pipeline project initiated by Azerbaijan and Turkey can add economic feasibility to the project.
Ankara and Baku will receive additional revenues from the transit, Ashgabat and Brussels - the path to the gas deal. The fact that Turkmenistan for its part has announced that the construction of a 700-kilometer East-West gas pipeline, which will connect the eastern deposits with the Caspian Sea coast, will be finished in 2015, adds optimism.
TANAP is to transport gas of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field from the Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey.
TANAP's initial capacity is expected to reach 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of increasing the capacity to 31 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The project's cost is estimated at $10 to $11 billion