OREANDA-NEWS. June 18, 2008. The first meeting of the Turkmen-Russian-Kazakh coordination committee was held in Ashkhabad to promote the large-scale project – construction of the Caspian gas pipeline and modernization of the transnational gas transportation system.

The participants of the meeting represented the Turkmengaz State Concern of Turkmenistan, the Gazporm Public Corporation (Russia) and the KazMunayGaz Company (Kazakhstan).

Reaffirming the adherence to the undertaken commitments the parties expressed high interest in accelerating the project of exceptional importance standing as a crucial factor for development of regional energy co-operation. The representatives of Turkmenistan, Russia and Kazakhstan agreed to draft the Agreement on the key aspects of project implementation.

The participants exchanged views and proposals aimed at harmonizing the partners’ positions on the issues under consideration.

As is known the initiative to build an energy bridge between Europe and Asia that would considerably increase the pipe capacity of the gas transportation system on the Caspian Sea coast was put forward by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the Turkmen-Russian-Kazakh top level talks in Turkmenbashi town last spring. Stating their readiness to intensify partnership in the strategic gas sector the leaders of the three countries signed the Joint Declaration on construction of the Caspian gas pipeline and the Joint Declaration on development of gas transportation system in the Central Asian region that Uzbekistan joined as well.

The gas pipeline will be built along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. The length of the Turkmen section – Belek-Garabogaz-Kazakh border is about 290 kilometres.

The Caspian gas pipeline will provide Turkmenistan, Russia, Kazakhstan as the largest fuel exporters connected with the pipeline networks the wider access to the energy-hungry European market as well as offer a powerful incentive to develop oil and gas infrastructure of the Caspian region whose abundant deposits serve as a forcible argument for the project that is taking the concrete shape.

Showing the intense interest in speedy implementation of this important project the participants emphasized that the implementation would started a new stage in the history of the intergovernmental dialogue based on the optimum balance of the national and common interests of the long-term partners, who had limitless possibilities for fruitful long-term co-operation.