All news

Ukraine, Turkmenistan ready to resume strategic coop in oil & gas sphere

Ukraine and Turkmenistan are ready to resume strategic partnership in the oil and gas sector

KIEV, September 16 (Itar-Tass) —— Ukraine and Turkmenistan are ready to resume strategic partnership in the oil and gas sector, Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yuri Boiko told a briefing on Friday.

He pointed to the importance of this process, stressing that “Turkmenistan has significantly diversified gas supplies recently and considers us as a partner in this process.”

In the minister’s words, “the sides consider various formats of cooperation.”

“There are several variants [of cooperation in the sphere of oil and gas]. Now they are under discussion. We will choose the most fruitful of them for our country,” Boiko said.

It was planned for Friday to sum up results of the international tender for a drafter of the feasibility study for the construction of an LNG re-gasification terminal in Ukraine, he reaffirmed.

“For us, this is a key point in the diversification stage, including that for the supplies of the Caspian Sea gas,” the minister said.

Earlier, Ukraine repeatedly voiced its interest in the resumption of natural gas import from Turkmenistan.

Ukraine bought natural gas in that Central Asian republic before the beginning of 2006.

In Boiko’s earlier words, Ukraine’s previous government halted gas import from Turkmenistan at the beginning of 2006, after which “Ukraine remained with only one gas supplier.”

The topicality of the issue grew, when it became clear that it is too difficult for Ukraine to implement gas contracts signed with Russia during Yulia Timoshenko’s premiership.