ITOCHU intends to strengthen position in Turkmen market
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has met with the executive vice president of the ITOCHU Corporation Yoichi Kobayashi, the Turkmen government said on Wednesday, Trend news agency reported.
Kobayashi is also the chairman of the Turkmen-Japanese committee for economic cooperation.
The information says that Kobayashi "confirmed the interest of Japanese business circles and his company in particular, in strengthening positions in the promising Turkmen market and implementation of new joint projects".
The sides exchanged views on the prospects of partnership in the energy sector, trade and economic cooperation, chemical industry, transport, agriculture and water management.
Another topic of discussion was the training of highly qualified personnel, exchange of experience in the field of nanotechnology and the creation of highly profitable industries.
The official visit of Berdymukhamedov to Tokyo in 2009 gave impetus to relations with Japan. A number of intergovernmental agreements and contracts with Japanese companies such as the JGC Corporation, ITOCHU Corporation, Kawasaki Plant Systems Ltd, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corporation and Sojitz Corporation, Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation were signed during the visit.
Tokyo believes that the high technologies of Japan and rich natural resources of Turkmenistan are mutually complementary.
A number of projects are being carried out in Turkmenistan through a commercial loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Participation of the country is especially noticeable in projects on the modernisation of the fuel and energy complex, particularly in upgrading the oil refinery to the amount of $1.6 billion in the city of Turkmenbashi.
Delivery of modern road construction and soil moving equipment from Japan is a traditional form of cooperation.