Page 5 - FSUOGM Week 35 2022

FSUOGM COMMENTARY FSUOGM

Serdar Berdimuhamedov (the son of the former arrived in Astrakhan for a three-day stay that
incumbent). The question of how much gas took in visits to the Lotus port, which has been
Russia imports from Turkmenistan came up designated a special economic zone, ship
obliquely. The government website described the designing and building facilities, and other mar-
conversation in typically uninformative fashion, itime-themed concerns.
but the basic gist – “expansion of cooperation … But Turkmenistan does not only want to rely
under the current contract” – could be divined. on Russia, or even China, its main customer, for
A five-year deal reached between Russia its gas exports.
and Turkmenistan in 2019 envisioned annual The planned trans-Afghan TAPI gas pipeline
deliveries of 5.5bn cubic metres (bcm), although rarely feels very possible, but all parties involved
Moscow’s ambassador to Ashgabat, Alexander are acting as though it is a viable proposition.
Blokhin, generated surprising albeit never fully Kabul-based Tolo news agency reported on
confirmed news in December 2021 by claiming August 20 that a government committee has
that Moscow had that year bought 10 bcm from been formed in Afghanistan to execute their
Turkmenistan. country’s section of the project. The commit-
Why Russia would need to buy more gas at tee will be headed by first deputy prime min-
this particular time given how its own exports to ister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the outlet
Europe are shrinking is not easy to understand. reported. A delegation will at some point travel
This manoeuvring looks strategic, although one from Kabul to Ashgabat for talks on how to take
can only guess at how. Russia is clearly deter- the project forward.
mined to keep Turkmenistan among its misera- “We will talk about … gas prices and imple-
bly small circle of friends and is lavishing loving mentation of projects in Herat,” Shafay Azam,
attention to that end. a Foreign Ministry representative, was cited as
A few days before Miller was in Ashgabat, saying by TOLO.
President Vladimir Putin awarded the Turkmen In other energy industry news, the gov-
president’s father (Gurbanguly Berdimuhame- ernment website reported on August 26 that
dov) a fourth-class For Services to the Fatherland President Berdimuhamedov had approved the
order for his contribution to enhancing bilateral purchase by state oil company Turkmennebit of
ties. It feels like a peculiarly domestic bauble for 2,309 tonnes of drill pipes from a Chinese com-
the Kremlin to bestow upon a foreign citizen, but pany called King Ease Limited.
the tribute will be gratefully received. There is just so much to pump out of Turk-
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s opposite men soil.
party from Russia, Valentina Matviyenko, the Government daily Neutral Turkmenistan on
chairwoman of the Federation Council, is poised August 24 provided a fresh update on the scale
for an imminent visit to Ashgabat to spread yet of energy riches at the country’s disposal. More
more goodwill. than 149 natural gas and gas condensate fields
This kind of thing does yield results. While holding a total of more than 4.97 trillion cubic
countries in Russia’s near-abroad are quietly metres of gas have been discovered in Turkmeni-
exploring ways to reduce their exposure to their stan so far, the newspaper reported. Of that total,
bellicose neighbour’s actions, Turkmenistan is 73 deposits are still being explored – a figure that
happy to continue deepening interdependence. Turkmen officials may well hope could lure any
Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov talked at foreign investors prepared to put up with the
an August 15-16 international transportation complications that working in Turkmenistan
conference about how Turkmenistan sees great entails.
potential in engaging with Russia to implement The painfully slow post-COVID re-opening
the International North-South Transport Corri- of the country is making more headway. Ash-
dor (INSTC), a complex multi-regional vision gabat-based news website Orient reported on
that is now more than two decades in the mak- August 26 that national carrier Turkmenistan
ing. The corridor envisioned a trans-Russian Airlines has announced it is to resume scheduled
component in its inception, but much mental flights to Germany. This follows the resumption
energy is being invested at present into pro- of flights to Dubai and Kazan, the capital of Rus-
moting routes that would obviate reliance on an sia’s Tatarstan republic.
increasingly unreliable transit nation. Flights between Ashgabat and Frankfurt will
Blokhin, the Russian ambassador, echoed run on Wednesdays and Saturdays. One-way
Meredov’s can-do spirit at the same conference, tickets will cost between 5,700 and 6,000 manat
which was held in the port city of Turkmenbashi. – prices that make a nonsense of the 3.5 manat to
In his speech, Blokhin announced that Turk- the dollar official exchange rate, since that would
menistan could soon expect a visit from Russian put the cost of each ticket at more than $1,600.
Railways chief executive Oleg Belozyorov. The black-market rate of around 20 manat to
Turkmenistan and Russia are cultivating the dollar makes the price-tag appear far more
maritime connections too. The government reasonable.
of Russia’s Astrakhan Region, which lies at the Akhal-Teke is a weekly Eurasianet col-
northern end of the Caspian, said in a statement umn compiling news and analysis from
on August 26 that it intends to offer training to Turkmenistan.
aspiring Turkmen shipping industry specialists. This article originally appeared on Eurasianet
That news came after a Turkmen delegation here. ™

Week 35 02•September•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P5