On July 1, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay , who is the co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Turkish Commission on Economic Cooperation.
The state information agency TDH described the meeting in general terms, noting that the parties discussed "the prospects for the Turkmen-Turkish partnership, which has a solid potential."
At the meeting of the intergovernmental commission, issues of further promotion and expansion of the range of products of Turkmen and Turkish manufacturers in the markets of the two countries were discussed, writes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
More detailed information on the results of the meetings was provided by Fuat Oktay during a press statement at the residence of the Turkish Embassy in Ashgabat, Anadolu agency reported .
The official said that three options for the delivery of Turkmen natural gas to Turkey are being worked out, and preparatory activities in this direction are coming to an end.
“We are working on three alternatives: using the TANAP line through the Caspian, the SWAP agreement or a pipeline, by sea to the pipeline. I'm happy to say that we are very close to completion." he noted.
Oktay said that President Serdar Berdymukhammedov is providing strong support to quickly achieve results.
The Turkish Vice President emphasized that the northern corridor has become risky due to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, and that this makes the middle corridor much more attractive. “We want to activate the middle corridor in many areas using rail and air logistics infrastructure using the Caspian crossing. Here we also saw mutual determination and sincere cooperation,” Oktay said.
According to the official, Turkey also wants to see Turkmenistan, which is joining the Organization of Turkic States as an observer member ( Turkmenistan was admitted to the UTC as an observer in November 2021 ), as a permanent member at the next meeting, which will take place in Uzbekistan.
Touching upon the topic of trade, Fuat Oktay said that the parties will activate a joint working group to simplify customs procedures and eliminate bureaucratic obstacles in trade and investment. “We see a very clear desire for cooperation on both sides. As I said, the stage is approaching when we will fix it with signatures,” he stressed.
Now a road map of 72 points has been drawn up between Turkey and Turkmenistan. The countries are also aiming to increase trade relations, which currently stand at $2 billion, to $3 billion by the end of the year and then to $5-$10 billion in the long term.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan