No doubt, in the history of the Russian-Turkmen relations the year of 2008 will be recorded as a period of determining the long-term strategic priorities in the bilateral cooperation. Today, on the request of the Turkmenistan magazine’s editorial board, officials from the Russian side responsible for the most important areas of the large-scale partnership of two countries will draw conclusions of the implemented work.

PROSEPCTS ARE REASSURING

Victor ZUBKOV, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government, Co-Chairman of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Russian Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation:

“The emerging prospects of the Russian-Turkmen partnership are reassuring. As of today, the sides have developed an extremely well-composed and reliable system of interrelations. All of this has been undertaken in the recent years and especially this year enables us to predict the considerable growth of the trade turnover between our countries. I think this year we can achieve the unprecedented figure of US$ 6.5 billion.

We are at the threshold of realization of the biggest joint projects in the oil and gas sphere, power engineering and creation of a number of joint ventures. The large-scale exhibition of Russian commodities and technologies held last summer in Ashgabat has demonstrated that hundreds of Russian enterprises stand ready to the active cooperation with Turkmen colleagues. It is necessary to point out that if in previous years two countries’ economic cooperation touched upon, mostly, the oil and gas sphere, now it has covered a wider range of sectors. It allows us to speak about great breakthrough in the development of our partnership.

It is commendable that the cooperation between our two states is characterized not only by the growing figures of trade turnover. Contacts in the cultural and humanitarian spheres are being broadened. The construction of a new building of the Turkmen-Russian school in the capital of Turkmenistan is nearing its completion. The construction of buildings of the Ashgabat branch of Moscow’s Gubkin University of Oil and Gas is waiting for its turn.

The fact that President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov closely controls the mutually beneficial process of integration and supports initiatives of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Russian commission for trade and economic cooperation is very critical. Such support allows us to build relations between our countries for the long term”.

GAINING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

Sergey GARICHEV, Executive Director of the Russian-Turkmen Business Council (RTBC), Doctor of Technical Sciences:

“The Russian business circles attach special importance to the development of mutually beneficial relations with Turkmenistan. More active development of these relations started last December under the support of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. It gained hold during the Ashgabat economic forum attended, for the first time in last 15 years, by the imposing delegation of Russian business circles, who during their visit to Turkmenistan held talks with the top leadership of Turkmen industrial circles. We felt the interest of the Turkmen side in establishing contacts with the Russian business, expanding direct ties with Russian companies and agreed that formation of the corresponding support structures will be started.

The Russian-Turkmen Business Council (RTBC) has become the first such body. In February 2008, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and over 70 Russian enterprises founded this Council with representatives of such biggest companies as Zarubezhneftegaz, Lukoil, Stroitransgaz, Itera, RAO RZhD (Russian Railways), GazpromBank, Metropol Group of companies and a number of others composing the board of it.

Our main objective was to expand the presence of the Russian business in the Turkmen economy, to support not only big, but medium-sized business, to make the bilateral partnership truly expanded and ultimately to increase the turnover between our two countries.

Over the time since creation of the RTBC, its board carried out a great deal of work on broadening the business cooperation with Turkmen partners and promoting specific Russian projects on the mutually beneficial basis. We managed to facilitate concluding of direct contracts for over 50 companies and organizations. Certainly, the companies that started doing business in Turkmenistan much earlier have strengthened their positions. They are Mobile Telesystems (MTS), Yaroivit Holding, Stroitransgaz, Itera and a number of others. Nowadays, the representatives of these companies share their experience and contacts with organizations that intend to enter the Turkmen market in the framework of the RTBC activities.

The RTBC and companies that founded it have identified a number of priority mutually beneficial projects having good prospects. Their realization is the matter of the nearest future”.