Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in a letter to Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has expressed confidence in the development of bilateral relations, the Turkmen government said Thursday.

"Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my confidence in the long-standing relationship between the Turkmen and Georgian people and that it will continue to develop and strengthen for the benefit of our two countries this year and in the years to come," Saakashvili's New Year congratulatory message said.

As previously noted by Georgian officials, relations between the two countries are based on a broad range of common interests, particularly, on ensuring stability and security in the South Caucasus and Central Asia regions.

One of the key areas of cooperation could be the energy sector, in particular, participation in major international projects such as the Trans-Caspian, Nabucco and Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector (AGRI) gas pipelines.

Experts believe that for Turkmenistan's sector of the Caspian Sea, which holds the fourth-biggest natural gas reserves in the world after Russia, Iran and Qatar, the route across the Caspian Sea to Europe is becoming increasingly attractive.

If implemented, Trans-Caspian pipeline infrastructure would connect Caspian resources to transnational projects for a long term.

In its energy strategy, Turkmenistan adheres to the principle of diversification of export routes of energy to world markets, including routes to Europe.

Georgia, an important country that is part of the South Caucasus transport and energy corridor, attaches great importance to the deepening energy cooperation with Turkmenistan.

An article by Georgian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Joseph Chakhvashvili published in Turkmen media says, "Turkmenistan's reasonable position is appealing for us, as Georgia is an important part of the South Caucasus transport and energy corridor and is ready to provide reliable and safe energy transit through its territory from the Caspian basin and Central Asia."

According to the Foreign Ministry of Georgia, Georgia and Turkmenistan are running an intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation. The two countries also cooperate in the field of transport.

Georgia attaches great importance to diversification of its transport infrastructure. One of Tbilisi's priorities is to cooperate with the Central Asian state in the framework of the successful functioning of TRACECA, an international transport program involving the European Union and countries of the Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asia region.

Georgia and Turkmenistan have signed 61 bilateral documents, which regulate their cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields.