TAPI Gas Pipeline Consortium Discussed in Ashgabat
Turkmenistan hosted a meeting of the steering committee of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project to discuss the formation of an international consortium, the Turkmen Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources reported on September 24. Heads of ministries and representatives of all project member states, as well as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), attended the meeting.
Source: trend.az
Turkmenistan and ADB Road-show Attracts Interest of Large Oil and Gas Companies
Turkmenistan’s world road-show of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India(TAPI) gas pipeline construction project, supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) took place on September 9 – 20, attracting the interest of the world’s leading companies, according to the Turkmen government. During the show, representatives of US Chevron and Exxon Mobil, British BP and BG Group, German RWE, Malaysian Petronas, and other companies met with the TAPI expert group comprised of heads and specialists from economic and oil and gas ministries from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Members of the expert group presented information about the main conditions of TAPI implementation and companies expressed their interest in their participation. The road show was conducted in Singapore, New York, and London, the major business and financial centers of Southeast Asia, America, and Europe.
Source: trend.az
EU: Negotiations on Trans Caspian Gas Pipeline to Continue in Constructive Atmosphere
Negotiations on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline will continue in “a constructive atmosphere,” a source in the Energy Department of the European Commission told trend.az. The source added that high-level and expert level meetings will continue in a month. The source mentioned that the visit of the EU Energy Commissioner, Gunter Oettinger, to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in early September took place in this context. The purpose of his visit was to discuss gas transportation to Europe in light of the mandate received by the European Council.
Source: trend.az
Turkmenistan Ready for Long Term Energy Cooperation with EU – Turkmen Government
Participants of a recent government meeting in Ashgabat stated that the European vector of energy policy is important for Turkmenistan. The participants stressed that “mutual interest in expanding cooperation in the energy sector is driven by the EU member states' growing needs for energy resources and Turkmenistan's strategy of diversifying energy export routes.” President Berdymukhamedov noted that “Turkmenistan is willing to examine the possibilities of expanding cooperation with foreign partners, including European ones, on a long term, equal and mutually beneficial basis.”
Source: trend.az
Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan Issues Press Release Regarding Caspian Situation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan issued a press release regarding exaggerated Russian media reports about the possibility of crisis in the Caspian Sea. The press release singles out Russia’s Regnum news agency, referring to materials from the conference “Paradigms of international cooperation in the Caspian Sea: the power, ecology, modernization, safety (Aktau, Kazakhstan),” which quoted a statement by Stanislav Pritchina from the Center for Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who negatively portrayed Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan relations. Turkmenistan claims that statements on the state of relations between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea are absolutely not true and that the cooperation between the two countries is based on the traditional ties of friendship and good neighborliness between the two fraternal peoples.
Sources: Turkmenistan.ru, regnums.ru
Azerbaijan to Consider Turkmen Gas Export – Azerbaijani Minister
Azerbaijan will consider allowing Turkmen gas to transit through its territory when Turkmenistan reaches a decision on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister, Natig Aliyev, told trend.az. He said the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline is not an Azerbaijani project and its implementation does not depend on Azerbaijan. "Turkmenistan's position plays an important role in this project. If Turkmenistan considers the project important, and sees it as providing access to the Western market, Azerbaijan supports this idea. In turn, Azerbaijan will create all the conditions for the construction of the pipeline on its section," Aliyev said.
Source: trend.az
President of Turkmenistan Awarded Honorary Medal of Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
President Berdymukhamedov received the Honorary Medal of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of the Russian Federation for his contribution to the development of Russian-Turkmen trade and economic partnership. The Vice-President of the CCI, Georgy Petrov, who arrived to Ashgabat to participate in the CIS International Fair of Consumer Goods, handed the award to the President.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
OSCE Helps Train Civil Society Representatives in Turkmenistan
The fourth in a series of OSCE seminars in Ashgabat designed to help civil society representatives in Turkmenistan’s regions improve their skills to manage projects, mainstream gender issues in their work, and effectively communicate, finished on September 23. Over a four-month period, 19 representatives and volunteers from16 national and regional civil society organizations participated in the seminars, which were conducted by the public organization Keik Okara, supported by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, and financed by the Government of Norway. As a follow up to the seminars, the participants will organize small public events in their communities.
Source: OSCE
OSCE Centre Holds Seminar on Health-related Rights of Prisoners in Turkmenistan
25 representatives of Turkmenistan’s regional penal institutions participated in a course organized by the Interior Ministry and the Ministry’s S.A. Niyazov Institute and the OSCE on health-related rights of prisoners, held in Ashgabat on September 25. Participants included prison officials and medical staff, as well as representatives from the Interior Ministry, General Prosecutor’s Office, and teachers from the S.A. Niyazov Institute of the Interior Ministry.
Source: OSCE
OSCE Supports Study Visit to US for Turkmenistan Police and Drug Enforcement Officials
Four senior police and drug enforcement officials from Turkmenistan participated in an OSCE-supported study visit to the United States that concluded on 14 September 2012. The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in partnership with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), organized the five-day visit to the Washington and Houston divisions of the DEA, the El Paso Intelligence Centre, the DEA Academy and border- crossing points on the US border with Mexico.
Source: OSCE
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