ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) " Turkmenistan, which holds the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves that are the base of its economy, has abolished two of the primary government agencies responsible for the sector. Turkmenistan is the prime mover in the effort to build a gas pipeline that will serve Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. The government newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan on Saturday said President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov had ordered the disbanding of the Ministry of Oil and Gas and the State Agency For Managing Hydrocarbon Resources. Turkmenistan depends on gas exports for about one-third of its GDP. But it could also reflect budget concerns amid low world prices for gas.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 16, 2016 14:48 UTC