Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 3
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia exchanged views on a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message Feb. 3.
The discussions were held during the meeting of Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov with Saudi Ambassador Khalid bin Faisal Al-Sehli.
During the meeting, the sides noted the importance of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2016.
The sides confirmed that the negotiations held at high level and the documents signed create a solid political and legal base for strengthening the cooperation in energy sector, transportation, financial and banking spheres and several other directions.
Earlier, the energy sector was set as a priority in trade and economic cooperation. In particular, the Saudi Fund for Development expressed interest in financing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
During the bilateral negotiations in Riyadh in May 2016, the parties spoke about the participation of Saudi companies in the construction of oil and gas refining enterprises in Turkmenistan, production of finished goods and their sale in foreign markets.
The sides also noted the existing conditions for cooperation in industry and production of construction materials, in particular, cement, as well as in textile industry.
Saudi Arabia established diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan on Feb. 22, 1992.