Turkmen State Minister Meets GECF Secretary General in Doha to Discuss Gas Sector Cooperation
Doha, The Gulf Observer: Turkmenistan’s State Minister and Chairman of the State Concern “Turkmengaz,” Maksat Babayev, held a high-level meeting on Wednesday with the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Mohamed Hamel, at the organization’s headquarters in Doha, the GECF press service reported.
During the meeting, Minister Babayev presented Turkmenistan’s strategic priorities for advancing its natural gas industry, particularly focusing on the continued development of the giant Galkynysh gas field—one of the largest in the world. He emphasized Turkmenistan’s commitment to technological innovation, noting that Turkmen experts, in collaboration with international partners, are deploying artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in areas such as reservoir modeling, intelligent well diagnostics, and greenhouse gas emissions monitoring.
Babayev underscored the importance of digital transformation and the adoption of green technologies in modernizing the country’s fuel and energy complex. He extended a formal invitation to Secretary General Hamel to participate in the “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan – 2025” (OGT-2025) International Conference, scheduled to take place in Ashgabat this October.
In response, Secretary General Mohamed Hamel expressed his appreciation for Turkmenistan’s active role in the GECF and reaffirmed the country’s foundational contribution to the Forum’s establishment. He praised Turkmenistan’s position as one of the world’s leading holders of natural gas reserves and emphasized its significance in shaping global energy dynamics.
Hamel also highlighted Turkmenistan’s potential to increase natural gas production to over 150 billion cubic meters annually by the mid-21st century, citing large-scale energy projects such as the Galkynysh field and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.
The two sides reiterated their commitment to deepening cooperation and enhancing institutional ties between Turkmenistan and the GECF.
The Gas Exporting Countries Forum is a prominent international organization that brings together the world’s leading natural gas producers. Established with support from the Russian Federation, the GECF aims to safeguard the interests of gas-exporting nations, offering an alternative framework to the Energy Charter, which many energy-exporting countries regard as unfavorable to their national energy policies.
