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Trilateral summit in Turkmenistan to discuss energy cooperation
Nov 29, 2008, 21:12 GMT
Moscow - The presidents of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Turkey held a private summit Saturday in the city of Turkmenbashi to discuss possible cooperation in the construction of a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov hosted Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev and Turkey's Abdullah Gul, but no agreements were signed, Interfax agency reported.
Gul said the discussions were good, and reiterated Turkey's interest in developing an efficient partnership in the fields of energy and transport.
The construction of a transport corridor between Europe and Asia was also discussed at the trilateral summit.
Europe especially has a keen interest in Turkmenistan's rich oil and gas deposits. Ever since Russian gas monopoly Gazprom shut off supplies to Ukraine in a pricing dispute in January 2006, causing brief shortfalls across Europe, European Union states have highlighted the need for the bloc to reduce its dependency on Russian gas.
European nations hope that the planned Nabucco gas pipeline via Azerbaijan and, ultimately, Turkmenistan via Turkey, will one day pipe Turkmen natural gas westwards, easing their dependence on Russia.
Currently, two thirds of Turkmenistan's annual output of 70 billion cubic metres of gas is sold to Russia.
The possible cooperation of Turkmenistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan in the energy sector is viewed with suspicion by Russia, media reports said.
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