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Thursday, 20 November, 2008, 00:00 GMT | more >>

Glos taps Turkmens for Nabucco gas



By Upstream staff 

Germany's Minister for Economics & Technology Michael Glos discussed the possibility of sourcing Turkmen gas for the planned Nabucco pipeline during talks with President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov today, sources have said.

A delegation led by Glos was in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat for talks with Berdymukhamedov as part of a regional tour which also includes Uzbekistan.

"The issue of direct supplies via Nabucco from the Caspian and from Turkmenistan in particular was raised during the talks," the source, who asked not be identified, told Reuters.

Turkmenistan exports most of its natural gas through Russia, but the European Union is lobbying for an alternative route.

Brussels particularly wants Turkmenistan to join the Nabucco pipeline, designed to help Europe diversify gas imports away from Russia.

But Berdymukhamedov, who signed a deal to build a separate new pipeline through Russia last December, did not mention Nabucco in his statement released after the talks.

"Turkmenistan... has vast hydrocarbon reserves," he said. "Therefore we think it is important to boost our foreign economic ties."


Monday, 25 February, 2008, 10:40 GMT  | last updated: Monday, 25 February, 2008, 12:34 GMT

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