OCT. 29 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – In a snub to Moscow, Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov hosted talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on sending gas to Ukraine.
At the meeting in Ashgabat the two leaders signed several intergovernmental agreements on industrial and agricultural cooperation. Energy, though, was top of the agenda.
No deal was signed but both leaders said progress had been made.
“We are ready to increase supplies to Ukraine of products from our domestic fuel and energy complex and begin implementing joint projects in this sphere,” Mr Berdymukhamedov said according to state media.
Both Ukraine and Turkmenistan have fallen out with the Kremlin.
The Ukrainian government is locked in a protracted civil war in the east of the country against rebel forces funded by Russia. Turkmenistan has fallen out with Russia’s Gazprom over gas contracts. Earlier this year, Mr Berdymukhamedov called Gazprom an “unreliable partner”.
Russia has begun to cut gas supplies to Ukraine, forcing it to look for alternative suppliers. It has also sharply lowered its purchase of Turkmen gas over the past few years.
The biggest problem for Turkmenistan is how to avoid using Russia’s extensive pipeline network to send gas to Ukraine. It is exploring sending gas and oil products across the Caspian Sea, potentially via a new pipeline but also by ship. From there, gas and oil products can be transported to the Black Sea coast and then shipped to Ukraine.
Media said Mr Berdymukhamedov was due in Kiev next year.
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(News report from Issue No. 254, published on Oct. 30 2015)
