Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, August 2
By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:
Turkmen entrepreneurs are ready to consider the possibility of joint extraction and processing of mineral resources in Kyrgyzstan, the Turkmengas State Concern said in a message.
This was announced recently during the Ashgabat meeting of the Turkmen-Kyrgyz Intergovernmental Commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical and humanitarian cooperation.
Chairman of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET) and the Intergovernmental Commission from the Turkmen side Alexander Dadaev also spoke about cooperation in the agro-industrial sector and in the field of establishment of processing enterprises. Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to support the establishment of joint ventures focused on the markets of the European Union, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China.
"Today, we have all the opportunities to implement joint projects with access to a fairly capacious consumer markets, in particular – the EAEU, where we can sell products manufactured jointly, without paying any duties," the message quoted Oleg Pankratov, Minister of Economy of Kyrgyzstan and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Commission of the Kyrgyz side as saying.
The parties also discussed priority areas of cooperation in the field of industry and transport. Turkmenistan holds a key position in the region for natural gas supplies. China is a major importer of Turkmen gas.
Ashgabat and Bishkek are involved in a major project to deliver Central Asian gas to China, primarily from Turkmenistan. China's CNPC company has been purchasing natural fuel in the region since 2009, after launching the first two gas pipeline branches (A and B) beginning from Turkmenistan and passing through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The third branch (C) was put into operation recently, which also runs along the same route. A project is being developed currently for the construction of an additional fourth branch (D) – along new transit route - through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.