Turkmenistan gas export issues

Turkmenistan plays a key role in the export of natural gas in Central Asia. The amount of natural gas extracted increases every year. Russia, Iran and China are all major customers of Turkmen gas. One of the major transportation routes for natural gas from Turkmenistan in the future can become the route across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and then via Georgia and Turkey to Europe (the NABUCCO project).

At the same time Turkmenistan is discussing together with Kazakhstan and Iran the construction of a railway line to the Persian Gulf, which could be hugely lucrative for the economies of all three countries. However, the idea is still only in the planning stages.