Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Belarus and Turkmenistan mulled a wide range of issues of mutual interest, and agreed on deepening bilateral cooperation.

The decision was made during a two-day official visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Turkmenistan on November 4-5.

During the talks, the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation as well as cooperation in the international arena.

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov underlined the significant role of trade and economic relations in the development of the Turkmen-Belarusian multi-aspect dialogue.

Berdymukhamedov urged his Belarusian partner to consider the opportunity of opening a training and production center for Belarusian transport enterprises in Turkmenistan.

The Belarusian president pointed to the fruitful development of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, saying that Belarus intended to set up a service center in Turkmenistan.

According to him, the center would serve all the Belarusian vehicles supplied to Turkmenistan.

The center will possibly open up branches in the country's regions in future.

"We understand that if we come to the country, we should open service centers. We will address the issue in the near future," the Belarusian president said.

Lukashenko also said that cooperation in humanitarian fields strengthened mutual understanding and friendly relations between the nations. The parties agreed on the exchange of Culture Days of Belarus and Turkmenistan in 2014-2015.

Belarusian president said that his country planned to start the production of unmanned aerial vehicles in Turkmenistan.

The parties also stressed the increase in joint scientific and technological efforts in the last few years.

"Negotiations are now underway on supplying the Turkmen side with multipurpose unmanned aerial systems developed by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and their consequent joint production in Turkmenistan," Lukashenko said.

He went on to say that the academies of sciences of the two countries were preparing a program for cooperation in the field of science and technologies.

The program includes 21 joint projects, and the first session of the relevant intergovernmental commission is expected to take place in Minsk soon.

Lukashenko also said that it was a top priority for Belarus to fulfill the agreement on the construction of the Garlyk mining and processing factory in Turkmenistan.

"We have agreed that in the near future a group of specialists led by the Prime Minister will arrive in Turkmenistan to settle all the issues related to the construction of Garlyk factory. The group will also report the final timetable for commissioning the factory," Lukashenko said.

Following the talks, Lukashenko and Berdymukhamedov issued a joint statement, calling for the expansion of friendly ties and cooperation between the two countries.

The heads of the two states praised the pace of interstate political dialogue and expressed satisfaction with the current state of Belarus-Turkmenistan relations.

They said that the two countries had similar stances on key International issues, and confirmed their intentions to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the international arena.

The two leaders deemed it necessary to ramp up bilateral and multilateral efforts to enhance regional security and stability.

Their joint statement also stressed that it was necessary to intensify political dialogue at the highest level, and to step up cooperation in trade, economy, energy sector, finances, transport industry, science and engineering, culture, humanitarian field, and other areas.

The presidents announced plans to expand and diversify bilateral trade, come up with long-term means of economic cooperation, and increase mutual investments on the basis of generally accepted rules and requirements of international trade.

The presidents emphasized the importance of closer ties in agricultural and humanitarian fields, and agreed to boost cooperation in healthcare, medicine, sports, and tourism.

They also confirmed their commitment to stepping up efforts to combat terrorism, political and religious extremism, drug trafficking, illegal migration, cross-border organized crime, and illegal arms trade.

Furthermore, the two countries signed several documents, including an agreement on the regulation of mutual commitments and financial claims, an agreement on cooperation between Belarusian National Bank and Turkmenistan's Central Bank, a Memorandum of Cooperation in healthcare, medical (pharmaceutical) science, education, and the provision of medical services to citizens of both countries, a program of cooperation for 2014-2015 between the Foreign Ministries of Belarus and Turkmenistan, a program of cooperation in physical education and sports for 2014-2015, a program in the tourism sector, a program on cooperation between the national academies of sciences of the two countries in science and technology, and an agreement on sci-tech cooperation among many others.

In 2012, the trade turnover between the two states reached $400 million. Belarusian major exports to Turkmenistan include tractors, trucks, construction and agricultural machines, bicycles, lift trucks, tires, medications, chemical fibers, woodworking industry products, and food.