Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 28 March / Trend H. Hasanov /
Chairman of the Majlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan Akja Nurberdieva has accepted the credentials of the Canadian Ambassador to Turkmenistan John Holmes, the Turkmen government said on Thursday.
'According to the diplomat, leading Canadian companies are interested in strengthening their positions in the promising Turkmen market. The desire to establish contacts in the field of high technology and specifically in the practical use of alternative sources of energy was also emphasised', the statement said.
The priority areas of cooperation between Turkmenistan and Canada are trade and energy. In particular, the Buried Hill oil and gas exploration company is conducting exploratory drilling in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea at licensed Block 3. The production sharing agreement (PSA) was signed in 2007. According to some reports, 3000 km (should this not read metres?) of seismic 2D was conducted, and current operations are related to the analysis of seismic data and development of further strategies for drilling.
Thermo Design Engineering Ltd, which operates the gas fields in the eastern region of the country, is a long-time partner of Turkmenistan. The company introduced the installations on cleaning of gas from hydrogen sulphide and enhances the capacity for the preparation and production of liquefied gas.
Noticeable development of relations is also observed with the national airline Turkmenistan Airlines. In particular, the Caspian country acquired the civil aircraft Challenger.
The Governor General of Canada David Johnston in his letter to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of independence of Turkmenistan noted that Canada welcomes Ashgabat's efforts in improving energy transit and regional trade routes.
This message was published in the Turkmen in November 2012. 'Canada looks forward to long term cooperation between the two countries and welcomes the current efforts of Turkmenistan on cooperation with the international community to promote peace and progress in the region, particularly through improved energy transit and regional trade routes', the letter said.
Turkmenistan, which has the fourth largest reserves of natural gas, is located at the junction of the Caspian region and Central Asia. This allows it to pursue a policy of diversification of energy output to different markets. The country currently sells gas to China, Russia and Iran and India and Europe are considered as prospects.
In addition, the major North-South railway project which will significantly reduce output to the Persian Gulf region is being implemented with the participation of Kazakhstan and Iran. Ashgabat intends to undertake additional sea routes across the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia to the Black Sea.