Turkmenistani Pres says pipeline to China fortifies his country`s status.

ASHGABAT, December 16 (Itar-Tass) - Commissioning of a major natural
gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to China has fortified the status of
Turkmenistan as a self-reliant and economically independent nation,
President Gurganguly Berdimuhammedow said Tuesday.
As he addressed a session of the cabinet of ministers on the eve of
the "great historic event", he said the streamlining of the pipeline,
which crosses the territories of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on the way to
China, "will directly facilitate a steady development of the national
economy and, consequently, will help raise the Turkmenistani people's
living standards.
"We've opened a new chapter in relations with friendly peoples who are
our partners in this project and cooperation with whom is a foreign policy
priority for Turkmenistan," Berdimuhammedow said.
To commemorate the significance of this event for the country's newest
history, he called for making December 14 a professional holiday of the
oil and gas industry workers.
Once the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China pipeline reaches
full calculated capacity - something that is expected to happen in 2015 -
its annual throughput will stand at 40 billion cubic meters /bcm/ of gas.
In 2010, this country hopes to export 6 bcm of gas to China.
To date, Turkmenistan has exported gas to Russia and Iran whom it is
linked with by a network of main pipelines.
In 2008, these exports exceeded 47 bcm.
-0-kle