Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, June 15 / Trend, H. Hasanov /
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov received the vice-president of the American oil company Chevron, Jay Pryor, the Turkmen government said on Friday.
During the meeting which was attended by the director of the US-Turkmenistan Business Council, Eric Stewart, discussions took place on opportunities for cooperation in the gas sphere.
'Noting the strong interest of American business to further strengthen its position in the promising Turkmen market, representatives of the U.S. side expressed confidence that this interest, in combination with a huge potential in Turkmenistan will create favourable conditions for intensification of mutually beneficial cooperation', the report says.
The sides stressed the fact that "a high level of the Turkmen-U.S. business partnerships had considerably intensified in recent years resulting in great prospects being opened through mutual interest and enormous potential".
President Berdimuhammadov emphasised the country's commitment to strengthening comprehensive mutually beneficial business relationships with major U.S. companies. The importance of regular business meetings, forums and exhibitions of products from U.S. companies was stressed as well.
"Turkmenistan is committed to a full modernisation of its economy due to the active involvement of international experience. It focuses on the comprehensive development of Turkmen-U.S. relations based on long experience of fruitful cooperation and a long tradition of friendship between Turkmenistan and the United States," media outlets quoted President Berdimuhammadov.
Washington strongly supports options of transporting Turkmen gas to new markets particularly to Europe via the Caspian Sea and to India and Pakistan through Afghanistan.
Chevron, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Case and other companies have opened representative offices in the country.