AKIPRESS.COM - Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Director and President Hou Qijun discussed the prospects of cooperation in the gas sector at their meeting, the Turkmenistan State News Agency said.

Hou Qijun reaffirmed that the CNPC and Chinese business circles are interested in broadening cooperation with Turkmenistan in the long term, Interfax reported.

He briefed the Turkmen president on the progress of CNPC projects in Turkmenistan, including the commercial development of hydrocarbon deposits in the Bagtyyarlyk contract area and efforts to install equipment at one of the world's largest natural gas deposits - the Galkynysh gas field.

As a result of this cooperation, Turkmen natural gas has been transported to China via the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline since 2009. The parties underscored the importance of agreements reached at the highest level to develop the second stage of the Galkynysh gas deposit and to build the fourth line of the Turkmenistan-China cross-border gas pipeline.

Hou Qijun also thanked the Turkmen president for personally attending a June 18 ceremony to commission the Gadyn gas-gathering station in the Lebap region.

Chinese Ambassador to Turkmenistan Qian Naicheng also took part in the meeting.