BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 8. Malaysian Prime
Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced plans to visit Turkmenistan in
mid-June to sign an agreement expected to provide PETRONAS with
access to one of the world’s largest natural gas fields, Trend reports via the press
office of the Malaysian PM.
According to Ibrahim, the strategic significance of the planned
agreement necessitates his personal participation in the two-day
visit despite a demanding domestic political agenda. He identified
strengthening Malaysia’s position in global energy markets and
diversifying resource supplies as among the government’s key
priorities.
The agreement is expected to create opportunities for PETRONAS
to participate in the development of Turkmenistan’s supergiant
Galkynysh gas field. The matter was discussed in May during talks
in Ashgabat between Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and PETRONAS Advisor
Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican.
PETRONAS has maintained a presence in Turkmenistan since July
1996, when it became the first foreign company to sign a
production-sharing agreement (PSA) for offshore Block I in the
Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. The block includes the
Magtymguly, Diyarbekir, and Garagol-Deniz fields and remains one of
the country’s key offshore energy assets. This year also marked two
decades of cooperation between Turkmenistan and PETRONAS in the gas
processing sector.
In May 2025, PETRONAS signed a new long-term agreement for Block
I, extending its operations in Turkmenistan through 2050. Under the
updated arrangement, the offshore project currently produces around
400 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and has access to
more than 7 trillion cubic feet of gas resources.
