Pressure on Ashgabat to give up the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project, which should supply the EU. Moscow wants Turkmen gas to go to Turkey via Iran. Turkmenistan is unlikely to be intimidated by the Kremlin.
Moscow () – The president of the Russian gas giant Gazprom, Aleksej Miller, traveled to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, to meet the two Berdymuhamedovs, father and son, who run the country exchanging roles. Putin’s “energy arm” has warned the Turkmen presidential family that Moscow is categorically opposed to the trans-Caspian gas pipeline that has been being talked about of late.
The Telegram channel Mirada a Oriente, which answers to Gazprom itself, reported on the meeting, explaining that Russia is proposing to Turkmenistan to participate in the gas supply to Turkey through Iran. The Kremlin also invites Ashgabat to become a member of an OPEC-like oil consortium, which at Gazprom’s initiative should include Russia and Iran, including Qatar in the future.
Speaking to Azattyk, John Roberts, adviser to the US company Trans Caspian Resources, explained that Miller’s warnings are expressions of a “policy of pressure” and recommended not to trust Russian threats, considering that the Turkmen jealously protect their independence. He also recalled that “the export of the gas itself in any direction is a sovereign right of every State, and the only objections against the trans-Caspian gas pipeline are those related to the protection of the environment.”
Roberts stated that “Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan respect all the ecological standards in the Caspian Sea area”, and the arrogance of the Russians has no basis to try to limit the possibilities of other states. On the other hand, it is not surprising that Russia tries by all means to block alternative routes for the export of gas to the West after the sanctions imposed by the war in Ukraine.
Miller’s proposal to exploit the Turkish-Iranian route is justified by “the opportunity not to create new structures in the area” and to take advantage of those that already exist. However, in that case Turkmenistan would not get any advantage, since its objective is the large supplies that it could offer to the European Union. Exports to Turkey would be limited to a volume of between 3 and 5 billion cubic meters per year, less than half of what it could take to Europe. In addition, Turkey could reject the Russian offer, since the EU would not be willing to import the gas transported through Iran.
In various publications, the Russians boast of their leadership in gas reserves, which amount to 37,400 trillion cubic meters, shared precisely with Iran, to which 32,100 trillion cubic meters are attributed. The British Petroleum company estimates Turkmenistan’s reserves at 19.5 trillion cubic meters. Gas control is one of the Kremlin’s most sensitive geopolitical weapons, and Russia is trying by all means to confirm its influence over all post-Soviet Central Asian republics in that sector.
Recent investigations by Radio Ozodi have revealed the maneuvers in Uzbekistan, where the Russians have taken control of the local oil sector through a system of offshore companies from various countries, which has had serious consequences for the internal supply of the population. and has caused a huge scandal in the Uzbek public opinion. The Berdymuhamedov family regime does not appear to be as manipulable as that of Uzbek President Mirziyoyev.
