The international conference "Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan - 2007: Turkmenistan's Oil Potential and Prospects for International Cooperation" started at Sergi Koshgi exhibition center in Ashgabat on November 14. Some 460 delegations from CIS, Europe, Asia and US participate in the forum. As the Ashgabat correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reports, Turkmen minister of oil and gas and mineral resources Baymurad Hojamuhamedov delivered a speech at the conference.

He noted that in 2007 Turkmenistan plans to increase annual natural gas extraction to 70 billion cubic meters, of which 49-50 cubic meters will be exported. Under the programme of development of the oil and gas sector, Turkmenistan will increase oil and gas condensate output to 110 million tons and natural gas to 250 billion cubic meters by 2030.

Inviting foreign partners to cooperation, the minister said that Turkmenistan would soon announce an international tender for construction of a gas processing plant with the capacity of 3 billion cubic meters of gas a year. The plant will produce polypropylene, polyethylene and other marketable products.

According to the Turkmen State News Service (TDH), on the same day, Turkmen vice prime minister, minister of foreign affairs Rashid Meredov held talks with delegations of a number of countries attending the conference. Issues of boosting cooperation in all areas, above all in the fuel and energy complex were discussed with heads of delegations of Libya, Poland, Norway and Netherlands.

Turkmen vice prime minister for oil and gas sector Tachberdi Tagyyev held talks with deputy board chairman of Russian Gasprom company Valery Golubev; with Afghan minister of mining Ibragim Adel; with chairman of Ukrainian NAK Naftogas company Eugenie Bakulin; with secretary of state, head of the chancellery of the Poland president Robert Draba; and with deputy minister of energy and mineral resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Lyazzat Kiinov.

It should be recalled that along with the conference the 12th international exhibition "Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan" is also under way in Ashgabat. Some 150 companies from 21 countries, including 62 companies from Russia, participate in the three-day exhibition organized by the ministry of oil and gas industry and mineral resources jointly with the Chamber of Commerce of Turkmenistan.