The subsoil and resources throughout Turkmenistan and in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, in their natural state, are the national property of the country’s people, the state’s exclusive property, and are provided by the state only for use, the Neutral Turkmenistan reported Feb. 16.
The newspaper said that under the recently adopted Law on Subsoil, the oil and gas areas in Turkmenistan can’t be a subject for sale and purchase, giving as gift, inheritance, depositing, mortgaging, or being alienated in any other form.
“The issues of international cooperation are of great importance in the use and protection of subsoil,” the newspaper said.
“Turkmenistan carries out this cooperation in accordance with the generally recognized principles and norms of the international law and international agreements,” Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper said. “This is related to examining the trans-border and cross-border structures, prospecting, exploration and development of trans-border and cross-border fields.”
Prevention of contamination of the subsoil while storing oil and gas underground, and dumping of hazardous materials and waste is one of the mandatory requirements, according to the newspaper.
“It is necessary to stick to the established order while liquidating the facilities for the development of mineral deposits, meet the environmental and sanitary-epidemiological requirements while storing and placing the production waste and products obtained after processing of minerals,” said the newspaper.
The authorized state bodies, local executive bodies and local self-government bodies of Turkmenistan are controlling the subsoil use and protection under the law.
Turkmenistan has the following types of state control in the subsoil use and protection and their resources. The control in the rational subsoil use and protection; control in the field of geological study of subsoil; environmental monitoring and control of safe operations in the subsoil use are among them, the newspaper says.
Moreover, the citizens and public associations are planned to be involved in taking the measures for the subsoil use and protection.
Turkmenistan with its natural gas reserves ranks fourth in the world and looks for new sales markets.
