EU urges Turkmenistan to apply for WTO membership

Baku - APA-ECONOMICS. Turkmenistan’s leader said Saturday his energy-rich country was ready to sell gas to Europe as the EU Commission urged it to apply for membership in the World Trade Organisation, AFP reported.

"Turkmenistan’s adhesion to the WTO would exert positive influence on economic development in the country and its attraction for investors," Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said after talks with President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

"The European Union urges Turkmenistan to apply for WTO membership," he added, while on his first official visit to the country.

The surprising offer came as Barroso continued a trip to secure gas supplies for Europe and met the Turkmen leader for talks focussing on a pipeline across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan as part of the key Southern Gas Corridor.

While no deals were inked with Turkmenistan, the country is "ready to activate work along the European direction," President Berdymukhamedov said Saturday after meeting with Barroso behind closed dooors for two hours.

"We have all the necessary conditions and many ways of delivering gas to Europe," Berdymukhamedov said, speaking in Russian. He said the most attractive project was a pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, though tankers transporting compressed natural gas across the sea are also an option.

"Partnership with Europe in the gas sphere is a priority," he said.

Barroso showered a rather reserved Berdymukhamedov with compliments and called Turkmenistan an "important economic partner for the European Union" whose growing market is of interest to "a great amount of European companies".

"We support your public declaration of intention to build a pipeline," Barroso said, accoring to remarks translated into Russian.

"We are ready to work together so that Turkmenistan becomes an important participant in the Southern Corridor."

"Europe is ready to purchase gas from Turkmenistan on the border," Barroso said, adding that there is "political will" to construct the Transcaspian pipeline.

The Transcaspian pipeline would connect Turkmenistan with Azerbaijan and could eventually provide a major boost to the European Nabucco project, a natural gas route by-passing Russia to deliver gas to Europe from other producers.