Petronas has invested more than $1.8 billion (£1.2 billion) in Turkmenistan's oil and gas industry, it has been claimed.

Malay prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi informed his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of the milestone during a meeting yesterday (November 19th), according to Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency.

However, Abdullah added that Petronas was not just interested in developing the country's resources, but improving the lives of its citizens through training and development.

The state-owned firm has so far awarded 100 scholarships to students at the Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) in Malaysia and provided technical oil training to a further 180 pupils.

In addition, it has created more than 200 job opportunities for local workers in Turkmenistan.

Discussions between the two premiers also extended to increased cooperation in areas such as education infrastructure and tourism.

The UTP was established in 1997 at the invitation of the Malaysian government.

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