Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Sept. 3 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Vice-President of the Swiss Confederation and Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and Swiss diplomat Bernhard Marfurt are on a visit to Turkmenistan, the Altyn Asyr TV channel reported today.
Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov has already received the Swiss officials.
During the meeting, the sides discussed "the prospects of expanding the long-term partnership, initially built on bilateral and multilateral basis on the principles of equality and mutual benefit."
"The sides mulled the possibilities of intergovernmental cooperation on a number of key areas, including in the energy, economy, investment and tourism, in which Switzerland has a big experience," the report reads.
The guests arrived to participate in an interim meeting of the Governors of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank belonging to the Swiss group to be held in the Avaza resort area in Turkmenistan on Sept 3-4.
The Neytralniy Turkmenistan newspaper reported that "the regular reports of the IMF and other reputable financial institutions confirm the favorable forecasts for the further development of the Turkmen national economy, which has demonstrated resistance to the adverse effects of the global economic crisis. This certainly serves to raise the rating of Turkmenistan as the most attractive state for investment. "
Berdimuhammedov said that "Turkmenistan ... is deeply interested in long-term cooperation with individual states and major international financial institutions, which significantly contribute to the successful implementation of the ambitious reform programs and achievement of goals by the Turkmen government to diversify the national economy and strengthen its financial sector. "