Ambassador: Resumption of energy cooperation with Turkmenistan requires new approaches

One of the key issues in Ukraine–Turkmenistan bilateral relations is the resumption of cooperation in the energy sector, which requires new approaches, new models, and proposals.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkmenistan Viktor Maiko expressed such an opinion in his blog for Ukrinform.

He noted that Turkmenistan had been the only supplier of natural gas to Ukraine until 2006. But now the main transit country of Turkmen gas to Ukraine has become an aggressor, and the Central Asia – Center gas transmission artery with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year almost does not function.

At the same time, Turkmenistan is actively developing its gas transmission network.

"Resumption of full-fledged cooperation with Turkmenistan in the energy sector requires extremely high motivation, new approaches, new models, and proposals. Today, Turkmenistan has fully fulfilled its homework in terms of readiness to export natural gas to the west," Maiko wrote.

Thus, Turkmenistan built an 800km East-West gas pipeline with a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year, starting with one of the world's largest natural gas fields Galkynysh and ending on the Caspian Sea coast.

The ambassador stressed that in the future this gas pipeline would serve as the first link in the infrastructure of Turkmen gas supply to Europe.

According to him, it depends only on Ukraine whether it will become a partner and an ally of Turkmenistan in gas supplies to Europe.

In June, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Turkmenistan, Dmytro Kuleba and Rashid Meredov, agreed to establish a business council that would unite the businesses of the two countries. The ministers also discussed the prospects for the development of new logistics routes between Central Europe and Central Asia, in which Ukraine and Turkmenistan could play a key role.

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