Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan to strengthen co-op in transport, energy spheres

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb.26

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

The opportunities for cooperation in trade and economic, fuel and energy, agriculture, communication and transport spheres were discussed during the meeting between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldayev, a message from Turkmen government said on Feb.26.

During the meeting, the sides also discussed the upcoming official visit of Turkmen president to Kyrgyzstan to intensify the multifaceted intergovernmental dialogue, according to the message.

The sides expressed confidence that the upcoming visit of Berdimuhamedov to Bishkek will allow to strengthen the centuries-old traditions of friendship and good neighborly relations between the two brotherly peoples, said the message from Turkmen government.

The two countries are involved in a large project for supplying Central Asian gas to China, primarily from Turkmenistan. Beijing and Ashgabat have a long-term agreement to increase the volume of supplies to 65 billion cubic meters of gas by 2020.

China's CNPC started buying fuel from this region from 2009 after commissioning the first two branches (A and B) of the gas pipeline running from Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The third branch (C), stretching through this route, has been recently commissioned.

Currently, work is underway on constructing the fourth branch (D) that will run through a new route - through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Edited by SI