Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, August 17 /Trend H. Hasanov /
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov issued relevant instructions regarding the opening of Turkmenistan's Consulate in Kazakh city of Aktau, Turkmen government's report said on Saturday.
"This step will serve to the further development of Turkmen-Kazakh interstate dialogue, consolidated by centuries-old strong ties of friendship and good neighbourliness uniting the peoples of the two countries, as well as to strengthening direct bilateral contacts between the regions," the Turkmen President underscored.
Aktau is the regional centre of Kazakhstan's Mangystau region, neighbouring with Balkan velayat (region) of Turkmenistan. A large Turkmen diaspora resides in this frontier territory.
According to government's report, the commissioning of Turkmen-Kazakh section of Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway in May this year, during the Turkmen President's state visit to Kazakhstan, "creates new great opportunities for building fruitful intergovernmental cooperation".
During the negotiations, held at that time an agreement was reached to open Turkmenistan's consulate in Aktau, and a consulate of Kazakhstan in Turkmen city of Turkmenbashi.
The two Caspian Sea countries are cooperating in delivery of energy resources to foreign markets, particularly, delivery of Kazakh oil in southern direction to the Persian Gulf and the Turkmen gas in the northern direction to Russia, Ukraine and Europe, as well as China.
The launch of the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline in December 2009 was an outstanding event. The gas pipeline allows on one hand to provide southern regions of Kazakhstan with gas, and on the other to export Turkmen gas to China.