Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 17
By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:
Following the intergovernmental talks in Tehran, Turkmenistan and Iran signed protocols on cooperation in the field of energy and railway transport, Nebit-Gaz, online newspaper of the Turkmen Oil and Gas Complex, reported.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov participated in the talks from the Turkmen side. The negotiations were held with Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh about the issues of expansion of cooperation in the energy sphere.
In particular, special attention was paid to strengthening cooperation in the field of oil, gas and petrochemical industry. Also during the visit a meeting was held with the Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi.
The sides exchanged views on new directions of increasing the volume of mutual trade, more efficient use of opportunities for cross-border trade and development of cooperation in the transport sector.
The delegation of Turkmenistan held meetings with the heads and officials of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, the Organization for Trade and Development, the Organization for Roads and Transport, the Central Bank, the Ministries of Energy and Transport, and the Railway Company of Iran.
Turkmenistan and Iran border on the Caspian Sea and have a long land border. Over the years of long-term cooperation, several major economic projects have been implemented. The gas pipeline Korpeje-Kurt-kui commissioned in 1996 and the transit branch - Dovletabat-Sarahs-Hangeran built in recent years in addition to that pipeline can be indicated among the most important projects.
The two neighboring countries have built the Dostluk (Druzhba) border dam and completed the North-South railway project on the basis of the trilateral agreement signed in 2007 with the participation of Turkmenistan, Iran and Kazakhstan.