Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

The Foreign Ministries of Turkmenistan and Iran held political consultations in Turkmen capital Ashgabat on January 20.

"The two sides appreciate bilateral relations and attach great importance to the further strengthening and development of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in political, trade-economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres," local Turkmen media said.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on relevant international issues, the situation in the Central Asian region, and the intensification of cooperation between the Turkmen and Iranian foreign ministries.

Local Iranian media reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Ashgabat to prepare a regional tour for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Turkmenistan and Iran also held a Turkmen-Iranian Business Forum dedicated to the various aspects of bilateral trade and economic partnership as part of the visit of Iranian delegation to Ashgabat.

During the forum organized by the Turkmen Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Iranian Embassy in Ashgabat, the trade and economic sphere, construction, textile industry, chemical industry, agriculture, and food industry were specified among the priority areas for cooperation.

Particular attention was also paid to enhancing business relations based on small and medium-sized businesses.

The representatives of the different departments and business circles of the two neighboring countries discussed the opportunities for developing joint projects that would enhance economic relations.

Also, the 13th meeting of the Turkmen-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission for economic cooperation was held in Ashgabat on the eve of the Turkmen-Iranian Business Forum and bilateral political consultations.

The forum's agenda included a number of aspects regarding the various directions of bilateral cooperation built on equal and mutually beneficial basis.

The forum participants exchanged views on the progress in implementing the agreements achieved earlier, and discussed prospects for further development of intergovernmental dialogue.

The sides also discussed economic relations in the spheres of trade, energy, agriculture, and water industry as well as education, healthcare, culture, tourism, and sport.

At the end of the meeting, the parties signed a bilateral Protocol on the outcomes of the forum.

Iran and Turkmenistan have common land borders and are neighboring countries in the Caspian Sea. They have maintained relations since Turkmenistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Iran was the first nation to recognize Turkmenistan as an independent state. Since then, the two countries have enjoyed good relations and have cooperated in economics, infrastructure, and energy sectors.

Tehran has the largest volume of trade turnover with Turkmenistan after Russia, and the two countries' annual trade currently amounts to $4.2 billion. This figure is planned to increase up to $10 billion over five years.

Turkmenistan mainly exports natural gas, oil, petrochemical products, and textiles to Iran.