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You won’t catch Turkmenistan meeting with Berdimuhamedov, “Natural of Galkynysh. And anyway, Turkmenistan’s
The Chinese president said at his
main problem is not gas production, but gas
putting all its eggs in one gas cooperation is the cornerstone of the customers.
China does not seem to need a Line D
China-Turkmenistan relationship.”
(Russian) basket More than just a “cornerstone” actually. full of extra gas from Galkynysh right now.
Turkmenistan supplies about half
Russia’s Power of Siberia pipeline to
Turkmen President Serdar the natural gas China imports through China has increased its capacity from some
Berdimuhamedov started 2023 with a major pipelines. 10 bcm in 2021 to 15 bcm in 2022 and plans
foreign visit. For more than a decade, China has call for increasing that volume to 38 bcm in
Berdimuhamedov went to China, been Turkmenistan’s largest gas customer the coming years
Turkmenistan’s leading trade partner and a and in recent years has been, essentially, And roughly two-thirds of China’s gas
country that seems destined to become even Turkmenistan’s only gas customer. imports arrive as liquefied natural gas
more important to Turkmenistan in the Berdimuhamedov noted in an article (LNG).
coming years. published during his visit by the People’s It does not appear Serdar
The visit had mixed results. Politically, Daily, the newspaper of China’s Communist Berdimuhamedov’s visit to China yielded
Turkmenistan drew a bit closer to China, Party, that since the first pipeline from any major breakthroughs, but it was
but in terms of trade, which is the basis of Turkmenistan to China started operation in important for Turkmenistan’s immediate
Turkmen foreign policy, there did not seem December 2009, Turkmenistan has shipped future.
to be much progress. some 350bn cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Serdar’s first foreign visits, to Russia
Just visiting China was important for China. and Iran, showed the intended direction of
Berdimuhamedov. Turkmen government statistics are Turkmenistan’s foreign policy.
He easily won the rigged Turkmen notoriously unreliable or, just as often, Serdar studied in Russia and
presidential election in March 2022, entirely unavailable, so it is difficult to say simultaneously had a position at the
taking over from his father Gurbanguly what percentage of export revenue comes Turkmen Embassy in Moscow.
Berdimuhamedov who had been president from gas sales, but it is believed to be more Iran is an immediate neighbour and
of Turkmenistan since December 2006. than 80% and possibly closer to 90%. modest gas customer, though the two
The new Turkmen president made four Turkmenistan would like to sell more gas countries have recently been discussing a
official visits during 2022: to Russia and to China and there are plans to build Line stepping up of Turkmen gas supplies.
then Iran in June, to Uzbekistan in July, and D of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline But the Russian and Iranian governments
to the United Arab Emirates in November. network to add to existing strands A, B and are international pariahs and increasingly
When Serdar attended the Shanghai C. so in recent months. The future prospects of
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Line D would have a capacity to carry an the current regimes in the two countries are
Samarkand, Uzbekistan last September as a additional 30 bcm of Turkmen gas to China unclear.
guest, he met Chinese President Xi Jinping but construction of that part of the pipeline China’s government and position in
briefly on the sidelines. network has been repeatedly delayed. the world are stable. That gives an extra
But a visit to China by the new Turkmen A joint statement released at the end significance to the Turkmen president’s visit
president was essential. of the Xi-Berdimuhamedov meeting said to China.
Symbolically, it was vital for Serdar to the two countries would “accelerate the Turkmenistan can depend on
pay an official visit to such a key ally and implementation… of construction of Line partnerships with Beijing and China is not
confirm China’s interests in Turkmenistan D….” only a gas customer but also a supplier of
would be respected by the son as they had Considering almost no construction has weapons and surveillance technology that
by the father. been done on Line D to date, accelerating helps the Turkmen regime monitor the
The highlight was the announcement work on the strand would not take much activities of its citizens.
China and Turkmenistan were and it would not mean the pipeline would Turkmenistan would like to sell more gas
elevating their bilateral relationship to a be completed anytime soon. to China, but the relationship as it currently
“comprehensive strategic partnership.” The joint statement also mentioned stands also suits the Turkmen regime.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement accelerating “the second stage of industrial If Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s visit to
about that partnership, however, failed to development of the Galkynysh gas field”. Beijing accomplished nothing else, it
shed much light on the terms of the elevated Galkynysh is one the world’s largest gas did serve to reaffirm Turkmenistan’s ties
relationship, saying “the two countries fields. The British firm Gaffney, Cline and with China. That will be a comfort to
need to jointly pursue the path toward Associates announced in October 2008 that the Turkmen government as it watches
development and rejuvenation … and fully its audit of the field showed a low estimate widespread social tensions in neighbouring
tap the potential for cooperation to realise of 4 trillion cubic metres (tcm) and a high Iran and Russia’s costly debacle in Ukraine.
common development.” estimate of 14 tcm.
Of more substance was Xi’s comments As with Line D, there is no commitment
summing up ties between the two countries. to any timeframe for further development

Week 03 20•January•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P15