Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 15
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
The delegation of Turkmenistan headed by deputy prime minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov has been recently on a working visit to Brussels, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message.
During the trip, a meeting was held with European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, where issues of enhancing interaction of Turkmenistan with the EU in the energy sector were discussed.
As part of the visit, a meeting was held with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, during which regional security issues were raised.
The Turkmen delegation was also received by a representative of the European Commission’s department for mobility and transport (DG MOVE). The development of transport and transit routes that may connect the region of Central Asia with the countries of Europe were considered.
“It was noted that the ongoing strategy of Turkmenistan in this area coincides with the strategy of the EU on the interaction between Europe and Asia,” said the message.
The negotiations on the delivery of Turkmen gas to Europe have been conducted since 2011. The Southern Gas Corridor, which also includes the Trans-Caspian project, remains a priority for the EU.
In May 2015, the Ashgabat Declaration on energy was signed by the ministers of energy of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic.
The project to lay a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to the shores of Azerbaijan is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market.
The Turkmen fuel can be transported further and delivered to Turkey, which borders European countries. The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline could become a part of several large-scale projects, including AGRI (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector), and TANAP, the participants of which are Azerbaijan and Turkey.