The leadership of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are ready for joint action to create a tripartite gas union, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said, according to the Sputnik Telegram channel.
"The idea of creating a "triple gas union" is of interest both to Russia and to our partners - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Interaction in this area is clearly in demand due to the existing energy needs, the tasks of ensuring socio-economic stability and the well-being of the population. Russia's partners are ready to joint actions in this direction," the diplomat said.
According to Galuzin, there are no obstacles to the implementation of this idea, but a lot of systematic work is needed, primarily at the expert level. The competent ministries of the three countries are already working on this project.
"As for the participation of Uzbekistan in the project, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a press conference on December 9 at the end of the EAEU summit in Bishkek, noted that work on creating a possible energy alliance has already begun," Galuzin stressed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a meeting in the Kremlin in late November discussed the creation of a "tripartite gas union" with the participation of Uzbekistan to coordinate actions in the transportation of Russian gas through the territories of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The idea of a "tripartite alliance" at the first stage provides for the possibility of creating a coordination mechanism, possibly with some kind of legal entity, but such issues still need to be discussed, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian president, explained to journalists. Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have great potential for cooperation in the gas sector, including gas supplies and processing, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak noted.
Uzbek Energy Minister Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov said in a video message to the media earlier in December that Uzbekistan intends to import gas and electricity from neighboring countries on the basis of commercial contracts, and not through some kind of alliance or union. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan stated that the issue of the gas union was not discussed in the trilateral format: the countries are discussing the technical capabilities of gas transportation systems. At the same time, cooperation in the gas sector requires the coordination of all three parties, said the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan, Bolat Akchulakov.
The project of creating a "gas union" between Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan requires experts to study it before making a decision at the state level, said Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Vasilenko.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 27, 2022