Former Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov says diversifying gas exports is the country’s primary goal, highlighting the TAPI and Trans-Caspian pipeline projects.

ASHGABAT: Former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (pic) has declared that diversifying exports of the country’s enormous gas reserves is its “primary goal”. The statement was made in an interview transcript published by Turkmen state media.

Berdymukhamedov served as president from 2007 to 2022 and remains influential as the country’s “National Leader”. Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth-largest gas reserves.

Its exports have been limited by a lack of pipeline infrastructure, with most gas currently sold overseas going to China. The former president said international companies were welcome to participate in the TAPI pipeline project.

This project aims to carry Turkmen gas to markets in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Turkmenistan says it will finish the first leg of the pipeline to the Afghan city of Herat around the end of 2026.

No plans have been announced to extend the pipeline further south from Herat. Berdymukhamedov said the project is backed by the United States.

The TAPI pipeline would need to overcome longstanding regional tensions between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Lethal fighting has broken out on their shared borders in the past year.

Berdymukhamedov also expressed support for the proposed Trans-Caspian Pipeline to Europe. This route would carry gas via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

He stated that issues with Azerbaijan around delimiting the Caspian seabed must be solved first. The former president was speaking during a visit to the United States.

The U.S. has recently courted Central Asian countries, a region where Russia and China have traditionally held primacy.

 The Sun Malaysia