The “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan – 2008” international conference was conducted in London on April 17-18. Its frameworks included a discussion of issues concerning the expansion of oil and gas production in Turkmenistan, with the energy products’ subsequent transportation to Europe. In particular, the conference examined the construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline for delivery of gas to European Union nations.

The forum’s keynote speakers included Minister of State for Energy (UK) Malcolm Wicks, the US State Department’s Coordinator for Eurasian Energy Diplomacy Steven Mann, the European Union’s Special Representative for Central Asia Pier Morel, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Tachberdi Tagiev, Minister of Oil & Gas & Mineral Resources of Turkmenistan Baymurad Khodjamukhamedov, and the Executive Director of the State Agency for Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources at the President of Turkmenistan Bayrammurad Muradov. Representatives of 160 transnational corporations also took part in the conference, including representatives of BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Marathon Oil Corporation, Shell, Tethys Petroleum, Total, WorleyParsons.

In the work of the conference took part the Chairman of the Board of Directors of MBC Corporation and the Chairman of the Russian part of the Russian-Turkmen Business Council (RTBC), Ilya Okhtyrsky, the Executive Director of the Russian part of the RTBC, Sergei Garichev and the Deputy General Director IFC Metropol Natalya Annenskaya. Leaders of the Russian part of the RTBC held a meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Tachberdi Tagiev, Minister of Oil & Gas & Mineral Resources of Turkmenistan Baymurad Khodjamukhamedov. During the meeting were discussed the prospects of Russian companies’ participation in investment projects in Turkmenistan. The parties agreed that the next meeting will be staged within the frameworks of a Russian-Turkmen Business Council Round Table in Ashgabat in May, 2008.