(Turkmenistan.ru) - On his working trip to the northern and eastern regions of the country, the Turkmen President, Saparmurat Niyazov, visited Dashoguz province yesterday. He took part in the ceremony of symbolic start of the cotton harvesting campaign, reports Trend.
The head of state visited Gyorogly and S.A. Niyazov regions, talked to the local tenants and conducted a field meeting on the cotton plantation.
Addressing the audience, the Turkmen leader stressed the necessity of expediting the important agricultural campaigns - raw cotton harvesting and winter wheat sowing. The heads of the province and etraps (regions) assured the President that all agricultural activities will be conducted in time, at the high level and promised that the raw cotton harvest will be completed by October 18-19 on the eve of the 15th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence.
Speaking about the responsibility of managers occupying highly demanding posts, Saparmurat Niyazov drew attention of officials to unacceptability of breaking the law and order on their part. The President urged to completely eradicate any offense including attempts of smuggling of Turkmen commodities abroad. The sacred duty of each of us, the head of state said, is to work honestly and devote oneself to the benefit of the motherland and people.
Concerning the forthcoming important event in the life of the country, Saparmurat Niyazov described the agenda of the People's Council to be held on October 25, which will discuss the state's energy strategy. He also emphasized the importance of elections to the regional and city khalk maslakhaty (people's councils) in which the country's whole population will take part. Very soon, the President went on, Turkmenistan will carry out the large-scale act of pardoning to release 10 thousand people, including 2 thousand men from Dashoguz province, from prison. Taking into account that all convicts are our citizens who have repented, the Turkmen leader said, they need to be supported, assisted in getting jobs and returning to the normal decent life.
Talking about the country's achievements in the years of independence, Saparmurat Niyazov pointed out the wellbeing of people that has considerably grown in recent years is the main of them. If in 1991 per capita national output made up only 7 USD, nowadays this index totals US$ 8 thousand. Setting this example, the President specially stressed the importance of introduced market principles in agriculture. They raise the interest of farmers in the results of their labor. The head of state demanded that all harvested cotton be sold through the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange at market prices.
Emphasizing that cotton is the wealth of the Turkmen people, Saparmurat Niyazov charged the Minister of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan to consider construction of textile complexes in those regions where the cotton fiber production is no less than 25-30 thousand tons. In addition to the direct economic benefit, the construction of modern facilities will enable the region to address the local population employment issue by providing thousands of jobs.
The province is developing, went on the President, reminding of the recent commissioning of the Ashgabat-Karakum-Dashoguz railway. The most important social facilities such as the medical diagnostic center have been constructed lately. A music drama theater and a gas turbine power station are to be put into operation soon. We will continue this work in the future, Saparmurat Niyazov said, and ordered to conduct a tender to select a company to build the water purification facilities system in Dashoguz. After the realization of this large-scale US$ 20 million project, the other, no less important, one - construction of the new sewage system - will be implemented.
The head of the country urged to develop lands of the Was tract more intensively and at a broad scale, where young families, first of all, will be encourage to settle. The state is ready to help them by providing long term credits for 15-20 years to erect their own houses and to assist in every possible way to turn the fertile lands of this region into a highly developed agricultural zone.