06-09-04

Turkmenistani President Saparmurat Niyazov, Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Abdallah bin Alawi, and former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who is currently the head of Bennett Jones, have met in Astana to discuss increasing cooperation in the oil and gas sphere.

The delegation also included senior management from the companies Buried Hill Energy and Petroleum Pipe Group (Britain), a source in the Turkmenistani government told.

The Turkmenistani president discussed a number of important oil and gas projects, including the reconstruction of Seidin Oil Refinery and the construction of the Trans-Afghanistan pipeline.

"Niyazov invited the Omani and Canadian businessmen to participate in these large-scale projects, and also proposed to consider the joint development of oil and gas fields in western Turkmenistan, including in the Caspian Sea," the Turkmenistani presidential press service said.

Source: Interfax Information Services