Officials from Turkmenistan and Turkey signed two preliminary agreements on Friday for the Central Asian country to supply gas to Turkey and onward to Europe, deals that would aid Ankara's bid to become a regional energy hub, Nikkei Asia reports.
Chairman of the People's Assembly Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov earlier paid a visit to Turkey, during which officials from the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding and a letter of intent on natural gas cooperation.
Berdimuhamedov said gas from Turkmenistan can reach Turkey and Europe either via the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan - once his country and Azerbaijan conclude a maritime border agreement - or through existing Iran pipeline infrastructure by having a gas swap deal. He noted that Galkynysh field held 27 trillion cubic meters of gas.
A high-level Turkmen official told Nikkei Asia that Turkmenistan has enough gas reserves to supply Turkey and Europe, while providing more gas to its main customer, China, at the same time.
A senior Azerbaijani official also welcomed the deal, telling Nikkei Asia that his country is ready to welcome Turkmen gas transiting to Turkey and Europe through its existing pipeline infrastructure, once the Caspian Sea seabed agreement is sealed.
