Page 7 - AsianOil Week 44 2022

AsianOil COMMENTARY AsianOil

hostility, laid aside their exclusive claims to the as the optimisation of local government. A
field known variously as Dostluk or Dostlug recent joint session of the two chambers of
(Friendship) and decided to go it together. parliament produced a resolution to rename
Speaking at the Verona Eurasian Economic a number of towns and villages across the
Forum on October 28, Azerbaijani Deputy country. No longer will they carry the name of
Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov signalled that Turkmenistan’s first post-independence auto-
LUKoil may indeed end up taking the lead on crat, Saparmurat Niyazov, and his mother,
developing the field. Gurbansoltan Eje. State media insists the
“We know about their [LUKoil’s] intention to move is in response to calls from the public,
participate, we understand this and are discuss- although it is more likely that Berdimuhame-
ing this with our Turkmen colleagues. I don't dov the elder is willing only to entertain the
think there are any objections," Soltanov said. cult of personality that has been installed in
Azerbaijan is gearing up for closer coop- his own honour.
eration with Turkmenistan in other ways too. One of the more peculiar aspects of the Ber-
Russian news outlet Voice of the CIS reported dimuhamedov regime’s myth-building machine
on October 27 that Azerbaijani state-run oil is its faithful reliance on the entirely unserious
company Socar is poised to open premises in Guinness World Records to cement its interna-
Ashgabat. That news was broken by Emin Ale- tional standing.
kperov, the deputy head of Socar’s science and In 2019, for example, Turkmenistan was
technology department, who offered an intrigu- recognised by the Guinness team for holding
ing response when quizzed by the Voice of the the world’s largest-ever “ecology lesson.” Repre-
CIS about prospects for a trans-Caspian pipe- sentatives from the records-tallying team were
line. Azerbaijan’s offshore oil and gas fields are on hand to watch as more than 2,900 people
connected to the shore by pipelines, as are those listened to a speech on the environment before
of Turkmenistan, he said. doubtlessly heading back to their hotel to laugh
“Using a business approach, they can be at foolish Turkmen officials handing them yet
combined, which does not take large material another large cheque.
resources,” said Alekperov, describing a vision Turkmenistan is now trying to earn another
that aligns with one that has been lobbied most perch in the Guinness records book with an
recently by Florida-based startup Trans Caspian open-air lecture on melon-farming on October
Resources. 28 that was attended by more than 500 agricul-
Should a way be found to get Turkmen gas tural specialists. The state news agency’s website
across the Caspian, Georgia wants in too. In says it was the largest event of its type ever to
his speech to the oil and gas conference in Ash- be held, although it was not specific whether it
gabat, Giorgi Chikovani, director general of the meant just any gathering of agricultural special-
Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation, said that his ists or one that specifically had melon-growing
country wanted to eventually buy Turkmen fuel. as its theme.
Making that happen, he said, will require “wider The Guinness World Records press service
dialogue between the European Union, the gov- had not responded to requests for clarification
ernments of the South Caucasus and Central at the time of this article’s publication.
Asia, and industry.” Akhal-Teke is a weekly Eurasianet col-
Berdimuhamedov’s father, Gurbanguly, the umn compiling news and analysis from
former president and current chair of the Senate, Turkmenistan.
is pressing ahead with his backseat ruling role by This article originally appeared on Eurasianet
taking the lead on what is being characterised here. ™

Week 44 08•November•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P7