Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 3
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov met with Qatar’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Khalifa Bin Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Suwaidi.
During the meeting, held in Ashgabat, the sides touched upon the issues related to preparation of an official visit of Turkmen president to Qatar, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message.
The sides noted that the open and friendly dialogue between the two countries is the main factor in development of bilateral relations and emphasized the importance of the official visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Turkmenistan in March 2016.
Turkmenistan and Qatar are discussing the expansion of partnership in such directions as the fuel and energy industry, financial and banking sphere, trade and transportation.
Diplomatic relations between Qatar and Turkmenistan were established in 1996.
In April 2016, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited the Qatari businessmen to participate in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline’s construction. According to Berdimuhamedov, the new energy route is meant to ensure the long-term supply of natural gas to big states of Southeastern Asia, helping to solve the region’s economic problems.
A groundbreaking ceremony for TAPI’s Turkmen section was held in mid-December 2015. The annual capacity of the gas pipeline will reach 33 billion cubic meters.