(MENAFN- AzerNews) Turkmenistan does not see any political, economic, or financial
factors hindering the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas
pipeline, which could make a tangible contribution to energy
security in Eurasia, Azernews reports.
This was stated in a statement of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry
in connection with publications in foreign media concerning the
possibilities of implementing the project of Turkmen's natural gas
supplies to European markets.
"The idea of building the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline initiated
by Turkmenistan was initially considered by our country not just as
an economically and commercially sound project, but also as an
essential component of diversification of energy flows as a key
condition for global energy security and sustainability on the
basis of equal consideration of the interests and benefits of
producers, consumers, and transit countries. By the way, all
potential participants of the project agree with this," the Foreign
Ministry said.
In parallel, Turkmenistan initiated a broadly interested
dialogue on energy security within the UN, which resulted in the
consensus adoption by the General Assembly in 2008 of the first
resolution "Reliable and stable transit of energy carriers and its
role in ensuring sustainable development and international
cooperation," the Foreign Ministry recalled. It was co-sponsored by
71 states. In 2013, the UN General Assembly once again unanimously
adopted Turkmenistan's draft of a similar resolution.
The statement stresses that Turkmenistan has made efforts to
create the necessary political, financial, and organizational
conditions that would allow the idea of building the Trans-Caspian
Pipeline to be translated into practice. To this end, trilateral
partnership mechanisms were formed between Turkmenistan, the
Republic of Azerbaijan, and the European Union, comprising the
heads of the respective energy agencies.
"In general, cooperation on the construction of the
Trans-Caspian Pipeline has progressed consistently and practically,
receiving political and functional international support. The
international legal validity of the project is also beyond doubt
after the adoption in 2018 by the five littoral states of the
fundamental document regulating the key principles of policy in the
Caspian Sea - the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian
Sea," the statement said.
Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry cites Article 14 of this
document, which states that the parties may lay cables and
pipelines on the bottom of the Caspian Sea, and the determination
of the route for laying submarine cables and pipelines is carried
out in agreement with the party through whose seabed sector the
submarine cable or pipeline is to be laid.
"Thus, as of today, the construction of the Trans-Caspian
pipeline is directly related to the demarcation of the seabed
between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. In addition,
Turkmenistan is convinced that there are no political, economic, or
financial factors hindering the implementation of the pipeline
construction. On the contrary, the Trans-Caspian pipeline is an
absolutely realistic project, justified from the economic point of
view, capable of making a tangible contribution to ensuring energy
security in Eurasia, providing long-term and uninterrupted access
to sources of raw materials for European consumers, while
respecting the obvious benefits and interests of the transit party.
On this basis, Turkmenistan, being committed to the strategy of
diversification of energy flows, expresses its readiness to
continue co-operation with partners in the implementation of the
Trans-Caspian pipeline project," the Foreign Ministry said in a
statement.
---