Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 March / corr. Trend I. Khalilova/ Kidir Saparliyev and Rashid Maradov) the Deputy Prime Ministers of Turkmenistan will visit Baku on 5 March to discuss the expansion of bilateral cooperation with the Azerbaijani Government, a source at the government said on 4 March.
Saparliyev, Chairman of the Inter-Government Commission on Economic and Humanitarian Cooperation will discuss with Yagub Eyyubov, his Azerbaijani counterpart, the implementation of measures within the protocol of the Commission signed on 17 January in Ashgabat. A commission meeting held before decided to expand relations in trade and economy, transport, communication, oil and gas, and environmental protection as well.
The parties are to develop inter-government agreements on mutual protection of investments, and cooperation in transit of rail, sea and air freight. The ferry service between Baku and Turkmenbashi is expected to be restored.
The foreign minister of Turkmenistan plans to discuss the re-establishment of the Turkmenistan Embassy in Baku after a seven year absence. An agreement to restore the embassy was reached in the commission meeting as well.
The Embassy of Turkmenistan in Azerbaijan was moved from Baku to Ashgabat in 2001 as a result of the cooling of political and economic relations between the countries.
Disagreements between the two countries emerged mainly due to the disputable fields in the Caspian and the identification of sea borders and because of the volume of Azerbaijani debt to Turkmenistan that was created in the early 90s.
Relations between the two countries were restored after Kurbankulu Berdimuhammadov was elected the new president of Turkmenistan. Khalaf Khalafov, a representative of Azerbaijan on the status of the Caspian visited Ashgabat and discussed the development of bilateral relations.
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