Prospects for cooperation in the development of oil and gas fields in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea were discussed on Sunday at a meeting between President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Executive Director of Dragon Oil Ali Rashid Al-Jarvan.

 Taking the opportunity, the guest congratulated the head of state on the upcoming holiday - the 31st anniversary of the independence of Turkmenistan, addressing the best wishes to the Turkmen people.

 As Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized, Turkmenistan, having colossal reserves of hydrocarbon resources, is in favor of establishing international cooperation with companies involved in their exploration, development and production.

 In this regard, it was noted that at present our country is actively participating in the development of the world energy market.  The growth of oil and gas production, improvement of product quality, increase in the volume of energy supplies to world markets are among the priority areas of the energy policy of Turkmenistan.

 As the head of state noted, over the years of cooperation, Dragon Oil has established itself as a responsible partner, actively using advanced experience and high technologies, as well as the latest scientific and technical developments in accordance with modern environmental requirements.

During the meeting, the possibilities of building up many years of successful cooperation were discussed, taking into account the solid experience of joint work and the grandiose plans of Turkmenistan for the further development of the fuel and energy complex.  Among the priority tasks is to increase the volume of production and processing of oil and gas, as well as the export of Turkmen energy resources and finished oil and gas chemical products.

 Considering the growing energy demand in the world market, the President of Turkmenistan emphasized the presence of good prospects for further deepening cooperation and readiness to consider all the company's proposals for further partnership.

 Expressing admiration for the large-scale reforms being carried out in Turkmenistan, Ali Rashid Al-Jarvan assured that Dragon Oil would continue to strictly fulfill its obligations.

 President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the businessman expressed confidence that mutual interest would become the basis for long-term cooperation built on an equal, mutually beneficial basis.

 It should be noted that the main activity of Dragon Oil is focused on the development of the Jeytun and Jigalybeg oil fields in the Cheleken contract area in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, where it has been successfully operating since May 2000.  During this period of time, Dragon Oil has invested more than 8 billion US dollars.