Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 9 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova /
Voicing the statements about the new ways for Turkmen gas export, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov is trying to place Turkmenistan as a country - important gas supplier, willing to change the geography of "blue fuel" supplies, experts said.
Ashgabat is exploring new opportunities to deliver Turkmen energy resources to the European promising market, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov said last week at a press conference. He emphasized that his country's policy in energy sector is based on creating a multi-variant system of delivering Turkmen energy resources to the world markets at stable and long-term basis.
"We do not proceed from the principle of substitution but addition of existing routes in all four geographic areas," the Turkmen president said.
Earlier at the summit of Turkic-speaking countries in Istanbul, the president said that Turkmenistan does not doubt of the real prospect of various projects to export gas in any direction, including to Europe through Nabucco.
The Turkmen leader has often made such statements.
Berdimuhammedov is trying to consolidate the image of Turkmenistan as an important regional and international gas supplier, experts said.
"The Turkmen leader is trying to promote his country as an important gas supplier to change geography of this product supplies," Ben Judah, European expert on Central Asia, told Trend via e-mail.
Now, a good moment appeared when Japan is trying to reduce its dependence on the Middle East, and the leading Western companies are expected to leave Iran because of sanctions imposed against it.
This opens great opportunities for Turkmenistan, the expert said. Moreover, according to Judah, there is great demand for hydrocarbons in China. Turkmenistan is interested in striking deals with China. Kazakhstan could come to an agreement with China. This allowed Astana to reduce its dependence on Russia and get large profit.
Turkmen President's statements on the new pipelines, which will go directly from the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea to China and Iran are also a part of an advertising campaign for recently opened large gas field [Yolotan], Judah said.
"This is a part of a long-term tendency in Turkmenistan's evolution from being dependent on Russia in political and energy issues to a multi-vector policy towards the outside world," he said.
Russian expert on Central Asia, Leonid Gusev, said that Turkmenistan positioned itself as a powerful gas state.
"The same situation was during former President Saparmurat Niyazov's activity. There is such situation now. The country intends to cooperate in the gas sphere in different directions," Senior Fellow at the Institute of International Studies of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Moscow State Institute of the International Relations, Gusev, told Trend via e-mail.
"On the one hand, Turkmenistan has fairly strong ties with Russia. Turkmen gas is pumped through the territory of Kazakhstan. At the same time, a pipeline was built a year ago from Turkmenistan to China, via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It is the Trans-Asian gas pipeline. Moreover, Turkmenistan sells its gas to Iran, " Gusev said.
Regarding the cooperation between Ashgabat and the West, particularly with the European Union, Turkmen representatives said last year that they can join the Nabucco project and supply gas to Europe via the pipeline. So, President Berdimuhammedov noted in July 2009 that the country has accumulated a surplus of marketable gas. He emphasized that all this gas can be sold to consumers at the border.
"All this makes it possible to implement various projects in this area, including the implementation of the Nabucco project," Berdimuhammedov said at a meeting of the Turkmen government.
"Turkmenistan has recently stated that it can join the Nabucco project. Perhaps, this is the single best option to supply gas to the EU countries," Gusev said.
Alexandros Petersen, U.S expert on Central Asia's energy issues, said that now, when there is a pipeline between China and Central Asia, Turkmenistan is seeking other potential options for export, besides the old routes to Russia.
While making these statements, President Berdimuhammedov explores the opportunities available for Turkmenistan, he said.
"We must bear in mind that the Trans-Caspian pipeline, associated with the South Caucasus gas pipeline and Nabucco, is unlikely to be created. Nevertheless, Turkmenistan wants to develop the supply of compressed natural gas via the Caspian Sea, which could be included in this system, " Petersen, Senior Research Fellow, Atlantic Council's Eurasian Center, told Trend via e-mail.
From the standpoint of the Turkmen government, participation in Nabucco with compressed gas or otherwise will not change the policy of the Republic to sell gas at the border, and the policy of oil supplies via the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, the expert said.
Earlier, Italian company Eni proposed SOCAR to realize a joint project to transport compressed gas from Turkmenistan via the Caspian Sea. Currently, this project is under study.
"Nevertheless, this and other signs point to a more active role of Ashgabat in distributing its natural resources, Petersen said. Turkmen President's statements confirm that export projects are important steps toward a potential involvement in energy projects outside of Turkmenistan in the future.