At the International Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 20th anniversary of strategic cooperation between Turkmenistan and China in the gas sector, Maksat Babayev, State Minister of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the State Concern Turkmengas, addressed the high-level plenary session. He summarized the key achievements of long-standing mutually beneficial relations with Chinese partners and outlined promising cooperation plans.

In his speech, he emphasized that over the past 20 years, Turkmengas and CNPC have implemented projects that are unparalleled in scale in the Central Asian region. Three gas processing plants with a total capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of marketable gas per year have been built and commissioned at the Galkynysh field as part of the first stage of its development. These facilities were built in the harsh climatic and geological conditions of the Karakum Desert, and today they operate normally, reliably meeting domestic needs and export supplies.

A significant milestone was the conclusion of the Production Sharing Agreement for the Bagtyyarlyk Contract Area on the right bank of the Amudarya in 2007. This project has become a key practical example of successful Turkmen-Chinese cooperation in the gas sector.

Over the years of project implementation, modern production infrastructure has been created in the Contract Area. The contractor invested $10.7 billion in the construction of two gas processing plants, a gas pretreatment unit, and associated infrastructure. All investments have been fully recouped. As of April 1, 2026, Turkmenistan's revenue from the project exceeded $19.2 billion.

The project has ensured not only significant natural gas production but also comprehensive resource monetization, including gas condensate extraction and industrial sulfur production. The Bagtyyarlyk project clearly demonstrates that a well-structured partnership creates long-term value for all participants.

The project is also significant in terms of personnel. Bagtyyarlyk currently employs approximately 8,700 people, over 90 percent of whom are Turkmen citizens. The contractor is consistently expanding the participation of trained Turkmen specialists in the project and fulfilling its commitments to training specialists by sending young Turkmen citizens to study at the China University of Petroleum.

As Babayev noted, Turkmengas is entering the next two decades of cooperation with a clear understanding of its priorities. First, the implementation of the fourth stage of the Galkynysh project is carried out in strict accordance with the design documentation and contractual obligations. Second, continued work in the Bagtyyarlyk contract area, which retains significant potential for further production development. Third, technological modernization is underway: digitalization of production processes, increased gas production efficiency, and the implementation of modern management and monitoring systems. In all these areas, CNPC is not just a contractor for us, but a strategic partner, and we are committed to further deepening our cooperation, noted the Chairman of the State Concern Turkmengas.

Maksat Babayev emphasized that the two countries' two decades of cooperation in the gas industry have contributed to economic development, technological progress, and the strengthening of energy security in the region.