Turkmenistan, EBRD eye co-op issues
The Turkmen government and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) discussed the prospects of cooperation , as EBRD director for Turkmenistan Heinz Kaufmann was received in the Turkmen foreign ministry on April 16 , the Turkmen government said.
The meeting reviewed the bank's activity in Turkmenistan in 2014. The prospects of cooperation between the Turkmen government and the EBRD, in particular, the EBRD strategy and role in promoting the market reforms in Turkmenistan.
Earlier, energy, transport and communications, agriculture, small and medium business, construction and building material production, insurance, education and science were among the promising areas of partnership.
There is the EBRD credit line in Turkmenistan. The purpose is to support the private entrepreneurship in the country.
Turkmenistan's economic growth will reach 10.0 percent in 2014, according to the previous EBRD forecast. The stable growth rates are explained by the implementation of the large state construction projects in Turkmenistan and gas export growth to China, according to the EBRD report.
Turkmenistan is one of the key players in the energy market of the Caspian Sea region. Raw materials are being exported to Russia and Iran. A route to China which is a strategic buyer of this valuable raw material was opened in 2009. It strives to bring the annual import of Turkmen gas up to 65 billion cubic meters.