Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Dec.14 / Trend, H. Hasanov /
The Turkish Republic is one of Turkmenistan's most reliable partners having close economic and trade relations, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov said in his appeal to visitors at the Exhibition of the Turkish Export Goods, which opened in Ashgabat on Wednesday.
"Our goal is to continue developing these relations. One of the features of interaction between our countries is the convenient geographical location of the two states, right in the centre of Eurasia," Mr Berdimuhammadov said in his speech.
Legal framework of this partnership includes more than 100 different agreements signed at the interstate, intergovernmental and intersectional levels.
The meetings of the intergovernmental commission discuss expansion of fuel and energy, agriculture, transit transportation, science, technology and innovations.
Turkmenistan mainly exports textiles, oil and gas, chemical and agricultural industry products. Metals and metal products, household products, building materials, electrical, chemical and light industry products, food products, vehicles and drugs are imported from Turkey.
Turkey remains one of the major trading partners of Turkmenistan. If foreign trade volume between the two countries in 2005 amounted to $341 million, then in late 2010, this level reached about $3 billion.
More than 600 Turkish companies operating in sectors such as trade and investment, construction, energy, textile and processing have been registered in Turkmenistan.
The two countries are interested in the project for transporting Turkmen gas to Europe. In particular, it is also envisaged to lay a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea and connect it to transnational Nabucco project.
Turkey supports projects to supply Turkmen energy resources to Europe, Turkish Ambassador to Turkmenistan Sevki Mutevellioglu told press in early November. He stressed that "Turkmenistan is of crucial significance in ensuring energy security".
Turkmenistan ranks fourth on natural gas reserves in the world, after Russia, Iran and Qatar.