Turkmenistan, Russia mull diversifying trade ties
By Aynur Jafarova
The diversification of Russian-Turkmen trade and economic relations through adopting new approaches was high on the agenda of talks between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Ashgabat last week.
During the meeting held as part of the Ashgabat summit of the CIS Heads of Governments, the sides stressed a positive trend in the trade turnover between the two countries. On average, it has recently amounted to over $5 billion.
"Russia is a major trading partner of Turkmenistan,” Berdymukhamedov said. “The largest Russian companies are successfully operating on the Turkmen market which is attractive for foreign investors."
While discussing international agenda issues, Berdymukhamedov and Medvedev paid special attention to the important aspects of cooperation in the field of ensuring the global security of energy supplies and the formation of its legal framework, optimizing the transportation flows in Eurasia and resolving the environmental problems.
Turkmenistan and Russia enjoy a significant capacity for further expansion of trade relations. In recent years, Turkmenistan has purchased about 1,500 various types of KAMAZ machinery worth over $125 million. The country plans to purchase new batches in 2015 as well.
The effective relations have been established in the field of shipbuilding and maritime freight transportation via the Caspian Sea. In this regard, Russia is showing great interest in purchasing Turkmen horticultural products, building materials and other goods.