ASHGABAT -- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher has said that Turkmenistan's energy security is important for the United States and that Washington welcomes Ashgabat's initiative to host an energy conference next week with the United Nations.
Boucher, who met in Ashgabat with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov on April 16, told RFE/RL's Turkmen Service afterwards that the conference would focus on securing transportation infrastructure for energy.
He said the United States will send a "strong" delegation to the conference.
Boucher said the best way to secure energy is to diversify the routes and opportunities to distribute energy.
He added that Washington wants to help Central Asian countries with their own "security...independence, and prosperity and development," as well as to foster their "respect for human rights and democracy."