Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb.28
By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:
Tbilisi hosted political consultations between Turkmenistan and Georgia, where the sides discussed issues related to the organization of official visit of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov to Georgia in 2015.
The Georgian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister David Jalagania, said the message of the Turkmen government on Feb.28.
Special attention at the meeting was also paid to issues of cooperation in political, trade and economic, energy and humanitarian spheres, particularly in the areas of health care, science and education, sports and tourism.
"During the consultations, the sides stressed the need to strengthen joint efforts in the energy and transport sectors, including the continuation of work on the creation of Afghanistan-Turkmenistan- Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transport corridor," said the message.
Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper wrote that the new transport corridor is aimed at providing new opportunities for the member states and other countries of the region to get access to the world markets.
"Naturally, it will also contribute to the socio-economic revival of Afghanistan and its involvement in the major regional and international infrastructure projects," said the newspaper.
Experts from the member states believe that this is a timely initiative and will ensure the further progress and prosperity of each country in the region by increasing the volume of general trade and reducing the expenditures on the cargo transit. Previously, Turkmenistan expressed interest in joining the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) transport project. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey are implementing the project for construction of a new BTK railway line counting on transporting cargo from China and Central Asia.
Experts believe that a route to Europe through the Caspian Sea seems the best option for Turkmenistan which ranks fourth in the world for the volume of natural gas reserve.
Furthermore, once implemented, the Trans-Caspian pipeline infrastructure will make it possible to involve the Caspian Sea resources in transnational projects through Azerbaijan on a long-term basis.
Tbilisi officials earlier stated that Georgia is an important part of the South Caucasus transport and energy corridor and is ready to ensure a reliable and safe transit of energy resources from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia through its territory.