Turkmenistan is increasing its presence on the world stage with the development of natural gas potential

― Turkmenistan continues to focus on the development of its resources and increase its presence on the world stage within the framework of realizing the potential of natural gas. The current investment forum in Dubai was a great demonstration of this," Mark Fitzgerald, vice president of international assets, exploration and production at PETRONAS, said in an interview with ORIENT.

Fitzgerald was a speaker at the session on the environmental aspects of the development of hydrocarbon deposits. In an interview on the sidelines of the forum, he particularly stressed that the effective management of the rich resources with which Turkmenistan is endowed is designed for sustainable and long-term development.

The course of Turkmenistan's leadership to modernize the oil and gas industry in accordance with global trends, especially the UN's focus on reducing emissions and carbon balance, is also in tune with PETRONAS' policy. We have been working in Turkmenistan since 1996, that is, we already have a 27-year history of successful cooperation, of which we are very proud.

During this time, we have invested almost $11.5 billion in Turkmenistan, invested about $ 3 billion in the country's economy. We employ more than 600 people. And we see good prospects for continuing cooperation, including in the field of the human dimension. For example, through such contributions, such as the education of 162 people in the university system in Malaysia, through other social projects.

I believe that the Dubai Forum has become an extremely useful platform for the development of a multilateral dialogue around the significant resource potential of Turkmenistan, which has yet to be fully revealed. The country is following the right path, relying on the expert participation of the international oil and gas community in the development of strategic decisions and long-term plans, including on the environmental track of industry growth.

PETRONAS also continues to be part of the global solution, developing low-carbon sustainable models with natural gas and oil, ensuring global economic growth and reducing emissions, while remaining true to the principles of net-zero 2050.

"The Government of Turkmenistan is moving forward on a path that fully complies with these principles, and this is an important component of the policy of long―term development of resource potential in the country," Mark Fitzgerald summed up.