President: Hungary plays leading role in supplying Turkmen gas to Europe

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Nov. 9 / Trend , H.Hasanov /

Hungary is playing a leading role in the delivery of Turkmen gas to European markets, Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov said during a meeting with Hungarian President Pal Schmitt in Ashgabat.

The President said Hungary has great technological and practical capabilities and also has experience in managing the fuel and energy industry, the Turkmen government reported on Wednesday.

"This creates fairly broad opportunities for joint projects in this direction and it is particularly important to accelerate mutually agreed schedules between the EU and Turkmenistan to supply the Turkmen gas to European markets. Hungary plays a leading role in this work," Mr. Berdimuhammedov said.

The meeting also noted Ashgabat's readiness to hold a joint consultation and establish relations between the energy ministries of the two countries.

"Turkmenistan, owning large natural gas reserves and enjoying a well-equipped oil industry, pursues the policy of diversification of export destinations as a basis for energy security and establishment of relations with the world," he said.

Turkmenistan is one of the most important partners in the field of energy security for Hungary and the EU. In particular the Nabucco project, which is a priority for the EU and will deliver gas from the Caspian region and Middle East to the EU and diversify the sources of raw materials supply.

Representatives of the Hungarian company MOL, which is one of equal partners in the consortium Nabucco Gas Pipeline International, also arrived in Ashgabat as a part of the Hungarian delegation.

In May 2011, Turkmenistan at a high level meeting, voiced interest in the gas pipeline project Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector (AGRI), providing for the delivery of liquefied gas through the Caspian Sea Black Sea coast of Georgia to Romania.

The Baku Declaration on the AGRI project was signed on Sept. 14, 2010. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary are all interested in its implementation.

The AGRI project envisages transporting Azerbaijani gas via pipelines to the Black Sea coast of Georgia, where it will be liquefied at a special terminal. The gas will then be delivered to a terminal at the Romanian port of Constanta via tankers.

Later, the liquefied gas will be converted to natural gas and directed towards covering the needs of Romania and other European countries.

It is expected that Turkmenistan, participating in the project as a supplier, could supply liquefied natural gas across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan for further transit to Europe.