Turkmenistan is ready for partnership with SCO in energy supplies

Turkmenistan is ready for multifaceted cooperation with the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in establishing a system of sustainable energy supplies. According to RIA Novosti, this was declared by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov at a Council of the Heads of Government of the SCO countries in Tashkent.

Today the challenge ahead of us is to ensure the sustainability of the energy supply system, its diversification, safety and reliability. Turkmenistan is ready for systematic and multifaceted cooperation with the SCO member states in this strategic area, Meredov said, speaking at an enlarged meeting of the Council.

Meredov said that now energy cooperation in the Eurasia region is "an emerging reality", and Turkmenistan is involved in this process.

The Turkmen Foreign Minister reminded that the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China and the Turkmenistan-Iran gas pipelines were built, and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline is under construction in cooperation with the SCO countries, as well as its partners and observers.

Meredov also specified transport as a promising area of partnership with the SCO countries. "We consider the transport component as a strategic resource for integration processes in Eurasia," the Turkmen Foreign Minister said.

In particular, he drew the attention of the SCO partners to the prospects of forming the transport corridor Central Asia – Caspian Sea – Black Sea, and access routes towards the Baltic Sea.

A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov was received by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. During a meeting, the parties highlighted that the Turkmen-Uzbek partnership has great potential in the trade, economic, transport, communications, energy, agricultural and other sectors.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In 2017, the heads of association member states signed a Decision on admission of India and Pakistan to the organization. Currently, the observer countries in the SCO are Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, and the partner countries are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.