Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 20
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
The meeting of the Turkmen-Japanese Committee for Economic Cooperation will take place in Ashgabat on May 23 , Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen government.
The event participants will address issues related to the participation of Japanese companies in major projects to be implemented in the oil and gas and chemical industries in Turkmenistan, the report says.
The agenda also includes prospects for establishing direct business contacts, creating joint ventures in various fields, expansion of export-import operations and increasing the volume of trade.
The event participants will discuss prospects for cooperation in the construction industry, transportation, communications and logistics including the railway sector, as well as the potential for the supply of Japanese machinery and opening of service centers by Japanese companies in the country.
In addition, opportunities to introduce advanced technologies in healthcare, agriculture, science, education and tourism will be considered.
There are plans to organize a number of bilateral meetings.
The impulse to business partnership was given by the official visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Turkmenistan in October 2015, during which memoranda were signed in the areas of development of natural resources and the transport infrastructure of Turkmenistan.
Agreements on a number of projects worth $18 billion were also concluded. Japan then expressed its desire to participate in projects to develop the industrial infrastructure of Turkmenistan’s biggest gas field Galkynysh.
A number of major infrastructure projects have already been implemented with the participation of Japanese companies. They include a complex of ammonia and urea production plants in Mary Region, the Garabogazkarbamid plant and a polymer complex in the Balkan Region.
According to a report by British Petroleum (BP), Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of natural gas reserves. The country currently exports it to China and Iran.
The country set a course for diversifying the local economy. The oil, gas, chemical, and building material industries are actively developing.