Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, July 19 / Trend H. Hasanov /
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has invited Turkmen President Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to visit Brussels where the EU headquarters is situated, a Turkmen official source said today.
This invitation was gratefully accepted and the schedule of the visit will be
agreed upon through diplomatic channels.
The two interlocutors reaffirmed the parties' commitment to accelerate an effective multi-faceted dialogue meeting mutual interests and goals of universal prosperity and progress.
Ashgabat is negotiating with the EU and Azerbaijan on the Trans-Caspian pipeline project construction to supply gas to Europe.
This route could become part of the Nabucco transnational project. After its implementation, Brussels expects to diversify sources of gas consumption through Caspian resources, mainly ensured by Russia.
Brussels gave a mandate to start negotiations on preparing an agreement on the Trans-Caspian project between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan last year.
Neighbouring countries of Russia and Iran have the world's largest natural gas reserves. They recall the possible risks to the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea in connection with the realisation of the Trans-Caspian project.
Turkmen ecologists have recently reported to the international environmental conference in Ashgabat that marine gas pipelines are much more practical, cheaper and environmentally safer because they are almost isolated from the influence of human activity, as they are under the sea and away from the coast. Turkmenistan has expressed willingness to conduct an international environmental expert report on this project.