Conference “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan”: the major themes of the first day
Today the 22nd international conference “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan” started its work in the Expo Center of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan. The largest oil and gas market players gathered once again in the Turkmen land to discuss the most pressing issues and strengthen cooperation. This year around 500 delegates from 36 countries take part in the conference. On the first day of the conference, two plenary sessions were held, at which the prospects for the development of the international, regional and domestic oil and gas industry were discussed, and trends in oil, gas and refined products markets were analyzed. In a keynote speech of the first plenary session, Myrat Archayev, the Chairman of The State Concern “Turkmengas”, outlined the main positions of Turkmenistan on further development of the gas industry in the country and throughout the world. As stressed by the speaker, natural gas is becoming an increasingly popular type of fuel every day, as it is one of the most environmentally friendly, “classic” types of energy. Turkmenistan, being the largest owner of reserves of this fuel, is aimed at increasing its export volumes. To implement these plans, construction of the TAPI gas pipeline is underway, many other infrastructure facilities are being created and new projects are being developed. A full-scale gas diversification company is being carried out in Turkmenistan, and the country is interested in partnering with the leading players in the market. At the same time, multilateral cooperation will not only be financially beneficial, but also positively affect the strengthening of stability in the region and throughout the world. The Minister of Energy of Georgia, Ilya Eloshvili, read out a report on the country's projects in the field of energy resources transit. Such pipelines as Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP), Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), White Stream Pipeline and others, indicate that Georgia is a reliable partner, helping all countries to diversify fuel supplies. In this regard, the Georgian side is interested in expanding cooperation with Turkmenistan, which has tremendous opportunities to increase energy exports. Azerbaijan is also interested in cooperation with Turkmenistan, stressed Elshad Nassirov, Vice President of SOCAR. As the speaker noted, there are many projects that can be implemented by common efforts, and the Azerbaijani side is ready for partnership in all directions. Director General of CNPC International in Turkmenistan, Li Shulian, outlined in his speech the main achievements made by the corporation in partnership with Turkmenistan. In particular, it was noted that one of the world's longest Turkmenistan-China gas pipelines was built by joint efforts, the first stage of development of the super-giant gas deposit Galkynysh was successfully implemented, and the Bagtyyarlyk project shows excellent results. In the light of fruitful cooperation and achieved successes, the Chinese company intends to further expand cooperation with Turkmenistan. Of particular interest to CNPC is the work on the TAPI and East-West gas pipelines, Shulian stressed. Four more sessions that will cover various issues of development of the oil and gas market in the region and throughout the world will be held on the second day of the conference “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan”.
