Angry debates about British insidiousness stirred up in the Russian (and not only) press following the visit of Malcolm Wicks, the UK Energy Minister, to Turkmenistan have not yet settled…

Russian press has been rigorously pursuing the subject of Britain taking a revenge on “Gazprom”: Great Britain signed an Energy Agreement with Turkmenistan that can result in “Gazprom” losing access not only to Turkmen gas but also two important pipeline projects in Europe. Experts think that Great Britain has unfolded an information campaign against “Gazprom”.

….as the major competitor of Russia in the fight for geopolitical dominion in Central Asia has actively joined the “big game”:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received US energy secretary Samuel Boldman in Ashgabat on November 15. As the Turkmen State News Service (TDH) reports, the head of state greeted the guest and expressed satisfaction with new trends in the Turkmen-US dialogue which is noted for its exceptionally business-like and pragmatic approach to cooperation.

Samuel Boldman, in turn, said he was happy to take this opportunity to come to Ashgabat for the first time and to speak at the international conference “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan - 2007″ attended by six well-known US companies. Samuel Boldman pointed out that such energy giants as Chevron and Shell are eager to consolidate their positions in the Turkmen market.

At the meeting the sides discussed prospects for development of bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector of Turkmenistan.

Official Ashgabat however is not planning to change its political course:

According to Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan prefers mutually beneficial cooperation with all partners - both long-standing and new coming - at the Turkmen market which provides equal opportunities to all participants. The president of Turkmenistan noted that “the adoption by Turkmenistan of such an approach was necessitated by its neutral status that serves not only political but also economic purposes and, in the end, the interests of people.”

In the given situation, this is a pragmatic and the only right approach: there are “goods” in Turkmenistan and “merchants” across the world, both exist in sufficient quantities. The state of the market and a demand for the “goods” - considering that the weather forecast predicts frosty winters in Western Europe – allow a hope that customers will not be hunting for a bargain too much, in other words necessity is the mother of good price. Hence, the bargain is not at all out of place here. Those who offer the highest price to the “piper” will get what they want, in the quantities they want and from the borders of Turkmenistan.

The visit of the US Energy Minister to Turkmenistan, by its sheer fact, puts a full stop in the prolonged debates about whether Turkmenistan has enough natural energy deposits and whether it can be an appropriate partner in a serious business. Samuel Boldman, it appears, visited Ashgabat to discuss issues that have little to do with democracy and human rights.