The announcement that Turkmenistan is sitting on what could be the world's second largest gas field adds credence to the growing awareness that the country is emerging as an energy hub of major geopolitical significance. Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Europe are among the players vying to benefit. But as Brussels' relations with Moscow deteriorate, Europe, if it is to benefit, faces the geographical and political obstacle of having to pipe gas from Turkmenistan under the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan - territorial waters claimed by Caspian Sea littoral states, notably Russia and Iran.
THE political manoeuvering and jostling over energy resources in Central Asia is about to take a new ...
