Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Jan. 5 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Today, the presidents of Iran and Turkmenistan, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov held a narrow-format meeting in Ashgabat.
The sides discussed prospects of bilateral cooperation and regional issues, particularly the situation in Afghanistan, the official Turkmen sources reported. Moreover, the sides agreed to expand the partnership in such fields as energy, communications and transportation. Following the meeting, the sides signed a number of interagency agreements and joint communiqué.
In recent years, the two countries have successfully implemented dozens of important joint projects, including the Dostluk border dam, as well as the connection of the railway infrastructure, roads, power lines and transmission system. The opening ceremony of the Dovletabat-Sarakhs-Khangeran interstate gas pipeline Jan.6, served as reason for the next Ahmadinejad-Berdimuhammedov meeting.
Based on the protocol, the both sides are likely to attend the opening ceremony of this pipeline. Iran buys about eight billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan via the Korpeje-Kurt-Kui pipeline introduced in 1996. Establishment of the second branch will eventually increase the pumping capacity to 20 billion cubic meters of gas.
The next meeting of the two leaders is another indication of the special significance of the Turkmen-Iranian relationship, the Turkmen state Altyn Asyr television channel reported.
"The meeting can be seen not only as another step towards deepening the traditional interaction, but also as a process of forming a constructive approach to determining the most effective formats for cooperation in the light of public priorities for both countries," the Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary reported.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at [email protected]