Lithuanian PM to study Caspian projects on Turkmenistan visit
Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius within the framework of his official visit to Turkmenistan on June 17 is going to get acquainted with the development prospects of 'sea gates' in Central Asia - the city of Turkmenbashi and the Caspian national tourism zone Avaza, Turkmen government said.
It is also planned that the Latvian will visit an oil refinery in Turkmenbashi.
It is expected that the head of the Lithuanian government will have negotiations with the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov. The Turkmen president said at the last governmental meeting that the two countries 'have a good potential for cooperation, the effective implementation of which corresponds to the mutual interests."
"The visit of the delegation is another testimony of the interest and readiness of Lithuania to bring political and economic dialogue with Turkmenistan to a higher level corresponding to current realities," Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper wrote in its commentary.
State information service Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary noted that "the planned bilateral talks with President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov will undoubtedly open up new horizons for mutually beneficial and full partnership, including in the framework of a constructive dialogue between Turkmenistan and the European Union (EU), which includes Lithuania as a full member."
Energy, economic, trade, and transportation are named among the promising cooperation areas.
Turkmenistan, which occupies an advantageous geopolitical position, pays special attention to the development of new transport routes.
According to Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary, among them are the creation of a transnational North-South Corridor, which aims to establish reliable communication between Asian and European countries, as well as construction of a new lucrative route between the Caspian, Black and Baltic seas.
Thus, the Baltic states, including Lithuania, with its large transit potential, may in the next few years become a vital link in the chain.
According to experts, it can be building links with Klaipeda sea port, which could help to increase the bilateral trade turnover and would be an additional way for the export of Turkmen goods to the West.
It is known that the EU seeks to get close to the Caspian Sea region in the energy sector. One of the major trends in this area can be Nabucco transnational gas pipeline project.