Malaysian Prime Minister Confirms Visit to Turkmenistan for New Gas Deal
ORIENT | Energy. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has confirmed his personal visit to Turkmenistan, which will take place in mid-June this year. The main goal of the Malaysian leader's two-day trip will be the signing of an agreement that will give the national oil and gas company Petronas access to one of the world's largest gas fields.
According to Malaysia's state news agency, BERNAMA, Anwar Ibrahim made this announcement during a speech at the launch of the election campaign in the state of Johor. The prime minister admitted that due to the busy schedule of regional elections, it was initially planned to send only a Petronas working delegation to Ashgabat. However, the exceptional strategic scale of the upcoming deal required the personal involvement of the Malaysian leader.
The Malaysian leader noted that diversifying raw material sources and strengthening its position in the global energy market is a key priority for his government, which requires significant compromises on its domestic agenda. He expressed confidence that the anticipated signing of the historic document in Ashgabat will yield colossal long-term dividends for the Malaysian economy.
According to industry experts, this refers to the Malaysian giant's involvement in the commercial development of the super-giant Galkynysh field. The possibility of Petronas' participation in drilling projects at this, the largest onshore gas field in the world, was discussed in detail in Ashgabat in May of this year during a meeting between National Leader of the Turkmen People Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Petronas Management Advisor Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marikan.
It is worth noting that the Malaysian company Petronas is one of Turkmenistan's oldest and most reliable strategic partners in the energy sector, successfully operating offshore blocks in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea for nearly thirty years. The upcoming visit of the Malaysian Prime Minister and the signing of the documents will elevate this long-standing partnership to a fundamentally new strategic level.
