Iran intends to boost ties with Turkmenistan
By Fatma Babayeva
Business circles of Iran seek to build productive relations with Turkmenistan, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi said at a meeting with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the Turkmen government reported on June 7.
Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan always cherished good relations with its close neighbors and henceforth, will strengthen fruitful dialogue in every possible way for the benefit of Turkmen and Iranian population, who are connected with cultural and historical commonality.
During the meeting, the sides spoke in favor of enhancing relations in trade, fuel and energy sectors, as well as, in scientific and technical areas.
Particular attention was paid to transportation, road construction and development of urban infrastructure.
Iran's proposals on cooperation with Turkmenistan in the sphere of marine and aerial communications were also presented at the meeting.
Moreover, implementation of joint projects was discussed.
The Iranian minister underlined that the policy pursued by Turkmenistan on the comprehensive modernization of the transportation sector promotes establishment of logistics infrastructure for the realization of international initiatives.
The role of the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway – which was designed to serve to the intensification of trade and economic ties in the Eurasian space – was also highlighted during the meeting.
The given railway route - Uzen-Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek-Gorgan was commissioned in December, 2014. This railway is designed to facilitate the optimization of cargo traffic throughout the Eurasia continent.
Iran and Turkmenistan, the two Caspian littoral states enjoy considerable potential to expand effective bilateral partnership in various fields.
Turkmenistan is the largest supplier of natural gas to the Islamic Republic. Turkmenistan also plans to increase its electricity imports to Iran.
Iran and Turkmenistan have agreed in February to increase the value of bilateral trade to $60 billion over the next decade.
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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva
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