Expanding mutually advantageous co-operation

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s two-day visit to the Republic of Tatarstan has started on June 28.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s visit to the largest region of the Russian Federation is to add a new vivid page to the histories of the fruitful dialogue established in recent years the partners intend to make expand and intensify. The reciprocal intention is conditioned by the positive experience of partnership backed by a number of the important joint projects successfully accomplished as well as mutual understanding and confidence between the Turkmen and the Tatar peoples bound with indissoluble ties of centuries-old friendship and fraternity.

The qualitatively new stage of the relations with Tatarstan marked the year 2007 that create a powerful incentive to expand the traditional Turkmen-Russian intergovernmental relations as well as co-operation with the largest regions of Russia.

The regular intergovernmental meetings laid the foundation for dynamic development of the economic relations of Turkmenistan with the Republic of Tatarstan. Thus, the prospects of collaboration in various fields including trade, agriculture, healthcare, ship building, petrochemistry and oil production were discussed during the talks with the governmental delegation of the Republic of Tatarstan led by Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov in March 2007 and January 2008.

Turkmenistan’s partnership with one of the world’s leaders in motor industry – KAMAZ exemplifies successful implementation of the existing profound potential of co-operation. Under the agreement 2,500 KAMAZ heavy haulers are to be delivered to Turkmenistan and the KAMAZ training and service centre is to be opened in Ashgabat. The bilateral trade and economic relations are noticeably intensified that was promoted by the visit of the Tatar delegation led by Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Co-operation Hafiz Salikhov to Ashgabat.

Partnership in the fuel and energy sector is a very promising field of bilateral co-operation. The Tatneft Public Corporation – Russia’s largest oil company ranking the 6th in Russia and the 30th by ‘black oil’ production. The partners’ endeavours to enhance partnership in this strategic field were secured in the special protocol signed upon concluding the intergovernmental talks in early 2008.

Recently, the delegation of the Tatneft Public Corporation led by Director General Shafagat Tahautdinov arrived in Ashgabat and brought to Ashgabat a package of the offers to maintain partnership. The delegation brought the special equipment that will be tested in the oil fields in the west of Turkmenistan. The potential partners from Tatarstan expressed the willingness to collaborate in the number of the very promising projects including establishment of the Avaza national tourism zone and development of the transport and communication infrastructure development. The vast opportunities of co-operation are provided in the humanitarian sphere, in particular training Turkmen specialists at the institutions of higher education in Tatarstan.

Thus, the Turkmen leader’s visit to Kazan will lay the firm foundation for development of fruitful partnership built on equality and mutual benefit. The partners are expected to sign the intergovernmental agreement on trade and economic, scientific and technical, cultural co-operation upon concluding the top level talks.
(The information was given by Turkmen State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH)