Turkmenistan, Romania hold energy talks in Ashgabat

Turkmenistan and Romania held the eighth meeting of their joint working group on energy cooperation in Ashgabat, focusing on expanding collaboration across natural gas, petrochemicals, renewables and infrastructure, Turkmen state media reported on April 1.

The talks were led by Guvanch Agajanov, chairman of the Turkmen state oil concern Turkmennebit, and Pavel-Casian Nitulescu, Romania’s state secretary for energy. Romania’s ambassador to Turkmenistan and the chairman of Romanian chemical company Chimcomplex also took part.

The meeting addressed regional energy projects, including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and potential cooperation in smart city development, particularly Turkmenistan’s Arkadag project. Officials also discussed expanding academic exchanges between oil and gas universities in both countries.

Turkmen state companies including Turkmengas, Turkmenhimiya and Turkmenenergo participated in the talks, alongside Turkmenistan’s deputy finance minister.

Romanian officials highlighted the potential for oil product shipping between the Port of Constanța and the Turkmenbashi International Seaport, citing Romania’s access to EU markets and existing energy infrastructure such as the Neptun Deep project and the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), Turkmen state media said.

The meeting concluded with the signing of a joint communiqué outlining future co-operation steps.