BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 18. Turkmenistan could contribute to the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, Pavel-Casian Nitulescu, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy of Romania, told Trend.
"Turkmenistan can make an important contribution among the natural gas suppliers for the Southern Gas Corridor and Vertical Gas Corridor projects. The plans to expand the Southern Gas Corridor are of strategic importance, as new gas suppliers are needed, especially for the Balkan and South-Eastern European countries. Romania supports the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and believes that immediate action and concrete steps are needed to achieve this. With its significant gas resources, Turkmenistan could contribute to the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, if a viable transport route is identified," he said.
Nitulescu pointed out that Romania appreciates the fact that Turkmenistan has become a very active player in the international dialogue on energy security projects aimed at diversifying energy supply sources for Europe, in particular Turkmenistan's desire to integrate its energy market into the international market and to engage as a competitive gas supplier for supplying the European market.
"Therefore, developments regarding transport alternatives for Turkmen gas volumes, which would allow significant quantities of gas from Turkmenistan to reach the European market, are of interest," the Secretary of State said.
According to him, Romania attaches great importance to the development of energy relations with Turkmenistan, given the long tradition in the oil and gas sector and the potential to capitalize on cooperation opportunities between the countries.
"Energy cooperation constitutes a strategic component of the bilateral dialogue between Romania and Turkmenistan. Given the existence of a real untapped potential for cooperation, direct dialogue with partners from Turkmenistan can allow the identification of new directions for cooperation in the energy sector. Romania, through its status as a member of the European Union, through its geographical position, and its participation in strategic regional energy projects, can offer long-term opportunities for access of Turkmen energy resources to the European market," he said.