Speech by Murat Archayev, Deputy Chairman of the “Turkmengaz” State Concern

31st International Conference and Exhibition “Oil & Gas of Turkmenistan — OGT 2026”

Dear Mr. Sagers!
Dear colleagues!
Ladies and gentlemen!

I would like to thank the organizers for the invitation. I am pleased that our discussion brings together those who work on connectivity in practice: gas industry specialists, energy professionals, builders, investors, representatives of the TAPI project company, and the Afghan side.

Let me begin with one figure: 153 kilometers. This is the length of the Afghan section of the TAPI gas pipeline from Serhetabat to Herat. Construction began on September 11, 2024. Around 700 Turkmen specialists and more than 300 units of specialized equipment are currently working along the route.

The work is proceeding according to schedule and in close cooperation with our Afghan partners. As was already noted today during the plenary session, gas supplies through this section are planned to begin in 2027.

The esteemed President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, has noted that TAPI remains one of the most important projects for the region.

My fellow panelists, Murat Artykov, Muhammetmyrat Amanov, and Mr. Samun, will be able to speak in greater detail about the electricity component and the project as a whole.

As we see it, the reliability of a route rests on three things.

The first is work on the ground, not statements of intent.

I did not begin with a figure by chance. Behind that figure are welded joints, pipe deliveries, and people who spend months working along the route.

The second is policy predictability.

Turkmenistan’s permanent neutral status has been confirmed three times by resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly. The National Concept “International Law and the Neutrality of Turkmenistan” was recently approved, establishing the legal foundations of this policy.

For our partners, this means clear rules: we build relations on equality, good-neighborliness, and fulfillment of agreements.

The third is the resource base.

Turkmenistan ranks among the countries with the world’s largest natural gas reserves.

The foundation of this resource base is the Galkynysh field, which is being developed in stages and is designed to ensure stable supplies to both domestic and international markets.

The State Minister has already spoken today about Phase IV. Work is also continuing on subsequent phases, including Phase III.

For us, diversification works both ways: a buyer needs several sources of gas, while a supplier needs several markets.

That is why we are developing three directions simultaneously: east, south, and west.

Let me start with the eastern direction. It remains the most mature example of what a long-term market looks like.

The Turkmenistan–China gas pipeline has been operating since December 2009, which is almost 17 years.

As of October 1, more than 477 billion cubic meters of gas had been supplied through it.

For the buyer, such a market means confidence in supply; for the supplier, confidence in demand.

These are not one-off contracts, but infrastructure and agreements designed to last for decades.

Long-term relations are also built at the field itself, not only through the pipeline.

There is an example represented on this panel. Petronas has been operating in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea since 1996, for around thirty years.

In 2025, this partnership was continued: a new production-sharing contract for Block 1 and a long-term gas supply agreement with the Concern were signed, while ADNOC XRG joined the project.

Cooperation with Petronas is not limited to the Caspian offshore area.

To explore opportunities for cooperation in the development of subsequent phases of the Galkynysh field, including Phase III, a confidentiality agreement was signed with the company.

Work in this direction is continuing. I thank our partners for this work.

The southern direction is TAPI, with a design capacity of up to 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

South Asia is one of the regions with the fastest-growing energy demand, which explains the interest in the project.

Today, our attention is focused on completing the Serhetabat–Herat section.

An important practical step was the memorandum on gas cooperation between Turkmengaz and Afghanistan’s state-owned company “Afghan Gas,” including gas supply to Herat province.

It was signed on August 10 this year during the working visit of the National Leader of the Turkmen people to the province.

As for the western direction, the approach of the President of Turkmenistan was outlined at the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, held in Avaza on October 8.

The issue concerns multi-vector transit of energy resources across the Caspian Sea.

Turkmenistan is ready to make its Caspian infrastructure, including the Turkmenbashi port, available in the common interest and on a mutually beneficial basis.

Importantly, the discussion is not limited to pipelines, but also covers electricity supply projects.

Such diversification provides regions with protection against fluctuations in the global energy market.

Our approach to new directions is consistent: each is developed as a specific project.

First, technical parameters are determined, then commercial and legal conditions, and only after that are investment decisions made.

This approach allows all participants to understand the rules in advance and plan their work.

We offer investors and technology companies the same approach: a specific project, clear objectives, and a measurable result.

In conclusion, I would put it this way.

A gas pipeline can be built in a few years. It will operate for a long time, and that is possible only when there is trust between partners — trust that we highly value.

Turkmenistan is open to dialogue and ready to consider specific proposals.

Thank you for your attention!