Oriented on making people closer

On July 7, Brussels hosted an expert round table of the Brussels Energy Club, one of the most influential energy platforms in Europe. The discussion focused on “Medium-term prospects for EU gas imports and strategies of exporting countries,” and Turkmenistan presented its vision of the future global energy market. The main speaker was Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Belgium Sapar Palvanov, who not only outlined the key areas of the country's energy policy, but also emphasized Ashgabat's strong interest in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with the European Union and leading European companies.

In his speech, the Ambassador emphasized that Turkmenistan is actively implementing large-scale diversification of its energy policy. This includes not only expanding the geography of blue fuel supplies, but also strengthening its own processing capacities, developing modern infrastructure aimed at producing products with high added value. The central element of this strategy remains the creation of sustainable and reliable partnerships, especially with European countries.

One of the key issues that attracted the attention of the expert community was the prospect of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. The project was once again presented as a viable option for diversifying Turkmen gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor, offering the EU a new, stable source of energy. Other strategic infrastructure initiatives of Turkmenistan, including the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline, the construction of which is already actively underway in Afghanistan, testifying to the real pace of implementation of global projects, also occupied an important place in the discussion.

The Ambassador highlighted Turkmenistan's recent breakthrough gas export agreements. In the period 2024-2025, significant agreements were signed with Turkey, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Hungary. These contracts include both direct supplies and effective swap mechanisms, clearly demonstrating Turkmenistan's flexibility and reliability as an energy partner in various regions.

Particular emphasis was placed on deep processing of natural gas within the country. Turkmenistan is currently actively investing in the construction of modern complexes for the production of polymers, high-quality fertilizers, synthetic fuel and other valuable end products. This not only increases the economic efficiency of using hydrocarbon resources, but also opens up broad opportunities for technological partnership and investment from European companies. Ashgabat actively encourages European businesses to jointly develop this high-tech and promising area.

The importance of the dialogue was confirmed by founder of the Brussels Energy Club, Marat Terterov, who noted the extremely high potential for cooperation with Turkmenistan. He also stressed that the annual international conference "Oil & Gas of Turkmenistan" in Ashgabat serves as an indispensable platform for constructive dialogue between Turkmenistan and its international energy partners.

The participants of the round table unanimously praised Turkmenistan's strategic openness to constructive dialogue. The country's readiness to deepen cooperation in the field of sustainable energy, the introduction of methane emission reduction technologies, as well as the implementation of new, diversified export routes was emphasized.

ORIENT

Photo: courtesy of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Belgium