Vice-Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Guvanch Agajanov spoke at the opening of the International Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 20th anniversary of strategic cooperation between Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China in the gas sector.

He emphasized that today marks a significant historical day in the friendship and cooperation between Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing on April 3, 2006, of the General Agreement between the Governments of Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China on the implementation of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline project and the sale of natural gas from Turkmenistan to the People's Republic of China.

As noted, thanks to the efforts of the National Leader of the Turkmen People, Hero-Arkadag, cooperation between Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China in the gas sector has expanded significantly. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is currently successfully promoting these important initiatives at the highest level.

During the 20 years of cooperation between the two countries in the gas industry, a number of major projects have been implemented thanks to a favorable investment climate, the Vice-Chairman noted.

These include: the construction and commissioning of a more than 7,000-kilometer Turkmen-Chinese gas pipeline; the signing of a production sharing agreement with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) regarding the Bagtyyarlyk Contractual Area; the opening of facilities with a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of marketable gas per year, built as part of the first stage of commercial development of the Galkynysh field; the commissioning of the Gadyn gas gathering station at the gas fields in the Bagtyyarlyk Contractual Area; and the signing of a contract for Stage IV of the Galkynysh field development between State Concern Turkmengas and CNPC Amudarya Petroleum Company Ltd. Based on the work completed and the concluded natural gas purchase and sale agreements, it is proud to note that the volume of Turkmen natural gas supplies to the Chinese market has already exceeded 462 billion cubic meters, and these volumes will increase in the future, the Vice-Chairman said.

He expressed confidence that the Turkmen-Chinese gas pipeline will become a modern embodiment of the Great Silk Road, which has historically linked Turkmenistan with China, connecting East and West.

The commencement of work on the development of the next, fourth, stage of the Galkynysh gas field, through the joint efforts of the State Concern Turkmengas and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), is further clear evidence of the flourishing Turkmen-Chinese cooperation in the gas industry, noted Guvang Agadzhanov.

The Vice-Chairman emphasized that all of this will create a solid foundation for further strengthening mutually beneficial political and economic relations between the two countries and developing fundamentally new areas of cooperation.