Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 21
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Hungary very much hopes that the gas resources of Turkmenistan will be directed to the general energy flow of Central Europe, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters in Ashgabat, Trend reports.
The minister was received by the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The sides discussed cooperation in the energy sector.
Hungary regards Central Asia and, in particular, Turkmenistan, as a very important partner in the region in terms of European security, Szijjarto said.
Negotiations on the delivery of Turkmen gas to Europe have been ongoing since 2011.
The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline under the Caspian sea to the shores of Azerbaijan, as noted earlier by the parties concerned, is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market. Further, the Turkmen fuel can get to Turkey, which borders European countries.
Turkmenistan has repeatedly declared its readiness to supply Europe with an annual volume of up to 40 billion cubic meters of gas. Official Ashgabat recently reported that the EU expressed its readiness to help attract investment for the implementation of this project.
In 2015, the East-West domestic gas pipeline was commissioned, connecting the gas-rich eastern regions of Turkmenistan to Caspian coast on the west of the country. In addition, oil and gas resources are being developed in the Turkmen part of the Caspian Sea at an accelerated pace. With the participation of foreign investors, four offshore and three onshore projects are implemented in the country.