First Vice-Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia was taking active steps towards filling integration projects with Central Asian countries in the fuel and energy sector with concrete substance, Itar-Tass reported.

This week Ivanov and Vice-Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin visited Tashkent, Dushanbe and Ashgabat. The Russian officials made their visits to these countries less than two months after Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan signed a declaration on the construction of the Caspian gas pipeline and a declaration on the development of gas transportation networks with Uzbekistan’s participation.

Uzbekistan "positively assesses a possibility of being involved in the Caspian gas pipeline", Ivanov told President Vladimir Putin as part of their meeting on the results of the vice-prime minister’s trip to Tashkent and the meetings with Uzbek President Islam Karimov and Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev.

"When we talk about the second branch of the gas pipeline, we can differently assess gas possibilities in Turkmenistan. But a total of 12 billion were produced by our companies, including by Gazprom and LUKoil in Uzbekistan," Ivanov said. In his view, "this proves of the need to build new transport routes. Otherwise, we’ll start producing gas that we can’t import."

Special attention was riveted to the development of fuel and energy cooperation at the session of the Russian-Turkmen intergovernmental commission in Ashgabat. "We discussed preparations for an agreement on the construction of the Caspian gas pipeline and the development of gas transportation network in Central Asia, as well as Russian companies’ participation in developing new gas and oil fields on the Caspian shelf and on the ground," Naryshkin told journalists.

At the same time, he warned that "it’s early to discuss" fuel and energy problems and the price of the construction of the Caspian gas pipeline. In the talks with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, Naryshkin discussed an agreement, which envisions the implementation of the declaration on the construction of the Caspian gas pipeline and the declaration on the development of gas transportation networks in Central Asia. "The work continues. The agreement will be ready for signing in September," he added.

According to Turkmenistan’s reports, the republic will be able to export 80 billion cubic metres of gas to Russia through the Caspian and Central Asian gas pipelines.

After his meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, Naryshkin said, "There are a series of facilities that are in Tajikistan’s strategic portfolio – primarily, hydropower generation projects. Russia shows interest in participating in them."

The Russian presidential special envoy for developing integration cooperation with CIS countries is currently in Tajikistan on a one-day visit. Before his meeting with the Tajik president he visited the construction sites of the Rogun and Sangtudin hydropower stations.

"Today we’ve got RAO EES Rossii’s confirmation that the Sangtudin hydropower station will be put into operation by the end of this year. The date is known when the station is put into a trial run and then starts operating under load," the vice-prime minister stressed.

Naryshkin said the meeting also focused on resuming the operation of the Rogun hydropower station. "Specialists of the two countries are holding consultations. Russia is preparing a draft agreement. We – Russia and Tajikistan – want the construction to be resumed as soon as possible. Russia shows big interest in it," he stated.