Turkmenistan has expressed concern about Russian official's statement that other countries were also seeking to join the "gas alliance" that now includes Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This was stated by the Deputy chief of Turkmengas Myrad Archaev. His words were posted on the website of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.

We are talking about the statement of the Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Birichevsky, which he made in an interview with RIA Novosti on August 11. He admitted "the expansion of trilateral cooperation in the gas sector", since there was some pursuit to join it from other countries. Birichevsky said that Russia was open to such cooperation, which "should be mutually beneficial and constructive, taking into account the positions of all participants."

Myrad Archaev pointed out that the interests of Turkmenistan were affected here.

“What kind of “expansion opportunities” are we talking about, what “other states” are seeking to join in, what, in principle, is behind the “trilateral cooperation” in the gas sector? The streamlined language used by the Russian diplomat does not provide answers to them. And complete clarity is required here, since the interests of other states, including Turkmenistan, are affected,” he said.

Archaev added that Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan were cooperating in matters of gas supplies from Central Asia to China. Turkmen gas is transported through three branches of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline. It was built exclusively by companies from the two countries, Turkmengas and CNPC, he said. Ashgabat is the largest supplier of gas through the pipeline - 40 BCM out of 55 BCM, the rest is supplied by Tashkent and Astana.

“No other countries inputs gas to the pipeline, and the existing scheme for distributing gas volumes supplied to China does not include plans to expand the list of participants in the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline project,” Archaev emphasized.

Turkmenistan strictly adheres to its obligations to its Chinese, Uzbek and Kazakh partners. And he legitimately counts on reciprocity, said the deputy head of Turkmengaz.

He added that any changes in the volumes and schemes of gas supplies using the existing infrastructure must be agreed with all participants in this market "without exception." Meanwhile, no negotiations were held with Turkmenistan.

“Such an approach is incomprehensible and unacceptable for the Turkmen side, and is considered by our country as inconsistent with the provisions of international law and practice in the gas sector. In this context, Turkmenistan is seriously concerned about the statements of official representatives, one way or another affecting the international obligations of our country, and which can sow ambiguity and speculation about their implementation by other participants,” said Archaev.

According to the results of the first half of 2023, Russia became the second largest supplier of gas to China after Turkmenistan. According to TASS with reference to Chinese customs authorities, Russia sold $3.4 billion worth of gas, while Turkmenistan sold over $5 billion worth of it. During this period, Uzbekistan exported gas to China at $203.9 million value.

"Gas Union"

At the end of November 2022, it became known that Russia offered Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to create a "tripartite gas union". The Russian authorities stated that the proposal did not imply the supply of gas in exchange for political conditions, but it was about the agreeing the commercial interests.

Energy Minister Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov said in December, against the background of the energy crisis in Uzbekistan, that the authorities were negotiating gas imports from neighbors under a commercial contract, and not through "some kind of alliance or union."

The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan reported that the gas contract with Gazprom was concluded for two years, the volume of supplies will be 9 million cubic meters per day, the annual volume is almost 2.8 billion cubic meters.

“Given that earlier natural gas was supplied to Russia in transit through Kazakhstan via the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline and now gas will be supplied in reverse mode (in the opposite direction) to Uzbekistan, as well as the need to build new gas measuring stations on the territory of Uzbekistan,“ roadmap” it is planned to complete the planned activities by September, ”the department noted.