Throughout its independence, neutral Turkmenistan has pursued an open and predictable domestic and foreign policy in all areas of state and societal life.
At the same time, Turkmenistan firmly follows the path of implementing large-scale and long-term national programs aimed at strengthening the foundations of the state system, creating a diversified economic system, solving important social tasks, and improving the well-being of the Turkmen people.
One of the important factors of such progressive and effective internal development is the creation of the most favorable external conditions, the formation of which is carried out thanks to the wise, balanced and transparent foreign policy of Turkmenistan, based on the principles and norms of the Charter of the United Nations, the main place among which is equality and mutual respect of countries for each other. Relying on these most important provisions, the neutral Turkmen state, for more than three decades of its membership in the UN, has made a great contribution to the development of the entire system of international relations, the elaboration and implementation of UN decisions on a wide range of issues on the global agenda today.
One of these areas is energy sustainability and security, further improvement of international energy cooperation.
In this regard, it should be emphasized that at the initiative of Turkmenistan, a fundamentally new concept of international energy cooperation was created at the present stage. Its core is ensuring equal rights and opportunities, as well as respecting the interests of producers, transiters and consumers of energy on world markets.
Implementing this strategy, the United Nations, represented by its General Assembly, twice in December 2008 and in May 2013, unanimously adopted Resolutions on Reliable and Stable Transit of Energy Resources and its Role in Ensuring Sustainable development and International Cooperation.
Consistently continuing the line of expanding multilateral partnership in the energy field, in September of this year, Turkmenistan, in its priority positions at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, proposed to consider the possibility of adopting a new Resolution “Stable, sustainable and reliable energy mobility, and its key role in ensuring sustainable development.” The draft resolution provides for the possibility of holding the International Forum “Sustainable Energy for All” in Turkmenistan in 2025.
Turkmenistan’s internationally significant energy proposals, adopted by the world community, have been and continue to be implemented in a number of major energy projects, including the Turkmenistan-China, Turkmenistan-Iran, and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipelines, and high-voltage power transmission lines from Turkmenistan to Iran and Afghanistan, with subsequent access to Pakistan.
The implementation of the above-mentioned and other projects is based on the principle of diversification of Turkmenistan’s energy supplies to various regions of the Eurasian continent.
It should be emphasized that over many years of joint activities with foreign countries and companies, Turkmenistan has established itself as a responsible and reliable partner, conducting business on the basis of the principles of mutual trust, respect, good neighborliness and openness.
It is from such positions that Turkmenistan is expanding the geography of its international energy cooperation today.
Among the new promising partners, the Turkmen side considers a number of states of the Far, Middle and Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, which show great interest and a high degree of initiative in effective cooperation with Turkmenistan in the energy dimension.
These countries include the Republic of Iraq.
As known, a high-ranking delegation of Iraq, consisting of heads and specialists of ministries and departments of the energy sector of this country, visited Ashgabat in August 2023, where they held talks on cooperation with Turkmenistan, in particular, in the gas industry.
A Turkmen delegation led by the State Minister and Chairman of the State Concern “Turkmengaz” visited Baghdad from 5 to 8 October 2023, to continue the bilateral energy dialogue.
During the visit, representatives of Turkmenistan were received by Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. At the meeting, the head of the Iraqi government noted the readiness and desire of his country to develop comprehensive and mutually beneficial relations with Turkmenistan, where the energy component will become one of the main directions of bilateral partnership.
In this regard, he welcomed the agreements reached between the state energy structures of the two countries and expressed confidence in the early start of their practical implementation.
The Turkmen delegation held in-depth talks with the Minister of Electric Power Industry Ziad Ali Fadel, during which a range of issues related to the organization of supplies of Turkmen natural gas to Iraq were discussed in a constructive manner.
In particular, the Iraqi partners expressed interest in gas supplies from Turkmenistan to Iraq under the SWAP scheme via Iran on the basis of long-term contracts, the duration of which may be at least 5 years. At the same time, the Iraqi side will be ready to receive Turkmen natural gas in the amount of 10 billion cubic meters annually.
In addition, the parties discussed in detail the legal, commercial, financial, organizational conditions for future joint activities in the gas industry.
As a result of the negotiations, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the State Concern “Turkmengaz” and the Ministry of Electric Power of the Republic of Iraq.
The parties agreed to continue negotiations in Ashgabat on 25-27 October this year within the framework of the International Exhibition and Conference “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan – 2023”.
Proceeding from the above, it should be noted that Turkmenistan, relying on its own rich positive experience of international cooperation in the energy sector, possessing huge reserves of hydrocarbon resources, having a wide range of potential partners, will firmly and consistently pursue a policy of further diversification of its energy supplies to world markets, including the development of the national gas industry, expansion of the multi-variant pipeline infrastructure, the sale of Turkmen natural gas to interested countries and companies on the basis of international rules and practices in the gas industry. ///Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, 9 October 2023
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