Turkmenistan and the UK have signed a protocol for the Turkmen Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry and the UK Energy Department to encourage co-operation on energy.
An official Turkman spokesman said that the deal was the high point of an energy forum held in Ashgabat. Ashgabat is hosting the forum for the second time.
The forum was attended by the UK Energy Minister Lord Hunt as well as representatives of leading energy companies such as BP, Shell, Gaffney Cline Ass, Denton, Hermes and KBR.
Lord Hunt had discussions with leading executives in the fuel and energy complex and said “the business forum will provide an impetus to the further development of cooperation in the priority fuel and energy sector.”He had earlier said “The British government attaches great importance to the cooperation with Turkmenistan as a reliable and prospective partner, acting bulwark of peace and security in Central Asia.”
The UK is one of the largest users of natural gas in Europe for applications such as underfloor heating and is now trying to tap the immense gas resources of Central Asia and in particular the Caspian region. Hunt commented that energy security is a priority for the EU.
Turkmenistan is a leading producer of natural gas in the region and is in the process of diversifying its customers to include Russia, Iran and China. It is also looking to globalize its customer base to other countries.
As well as the EU, energy security is also a priority for the UK and the deal represents another step in the diversification and establishment of stable and credit sources of natural gas supply.
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