Oriented on making people closer

On December 16, the 15th meeting of the Turkmen-Japanese and Japanese-Turkmen Committees on Economic Cooperation was held in the conference hall of the Yildiz Hotel in Ashgabat. A solid Japanese delegation headed by Hiroyuki Tsubai, a member of the Board of Directors of the Japanese company Itochu Corporation, Executive Vice President, President of the company for machinery and equipment, who is the Chairman of the Japanese-Turkmen Committee, arrived in Turkmenistan to participate in the work of this forum.

The meeting was preceded by a meeting in a narrow format. The Japanese delegation includes the heads of such companies as Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd, Sumitomo Corporation, Tokyo Boeki Yewraziya, Marubeni Corporation, Toyo Engineering Corporation, Komatsu, Kubota Corporation, Tairuku trading Corporation and others, as well as the Japan Trade Association ROTOBO.

Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, who chairs the Turkmen-Japanese Committee, opening the meeting and welcoming high-ranking guests, recalled the effectiveness of the previous similar forum, which was held in December 2022 in Tokyo, and emphasized our country's interest in strengthening relations with Japan.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan noted the representative composition of the delegations on both sides, which indicates the significant role of the committees in developing cooperation between the two countries and their focus on opening up new promising areas.

According to Meredov, the committees are effective mechanisms for interstate interaction, platforms for exchanging ideas, proposals, and developing specific plans in order to form a solid foundation for further productive dialogue.

"Japan has always been a reliable partner for us and one of the leaders in the field of innovation and technology used in Turkmenistan in various projects," the minister said.

The two countries successfully cooperate in such areas as energy, transport, industry, and a number of other areas, on a mutually beneficial basis. The main factor in the development of Turkmen-Japanese relations is trusting, constructive and at the same time friendly contacts at the highest state level.

It is the regular meetings of the leaders of the two states that give powerful political impetus to the promotion of large-scale and long-term initiatives aimed at strengthening friendship and partnership between Turkmenistan and Japan.

In this context, the visit of National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Japan in 2022 and the meetings with members of the Japan-Turkmen Committee on Economic Cooperation held within the framework of this visit were noted.

Meanwhile, the tradition of such regular contacts has been going on since 2009, and each time during his visits, the National Leader of the Turkmen People, while still President of Turkmenistan, had the opportunity to hold constructive and fruitful meetings with the Emperor of Japan, prime ministers, members of parliament and business circles of this country.

This became a powerful political basis for building up the potential of economic cooperation between Turkmenistan and Japan. The results of such large-scale work are visible today and are reflected in those large production, industrial, energy facilities built by Japanese companies with the participation of Turkmen partners over the past 12-13 years.

There are examples of effective partnership in the gas-chemical industry of Turkmenistan, in the electric power industry, and active work is underway on transport infrastructure.

In January of this year, during the visit of the delegation of Turkmenistan to Tokyo, negotiations were held with Japanese businessmen in the ministries and departments of Japan - the parties discussed specific projects and confirmed the priorities of cooperation in the near and medium term.

During today's meeting, the participants exchanged views on various issues of trade and economic cooperation between Turkmenistan and Japan. Within the framework of the meeting, a package of documents was signed between leading government agencies and Japanese companies in such areas as the chemical industry, gas industry, etc.

The documents include a Framework Agreement between the State Concern Turkmenhimiya and the group of companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific, Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), Çalık Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Turkey), and Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan) for the provision of service and technical maintenance of the Garabogazkarbamid plant.

A Framework Agreement was also signed between the State Concern Turkmenhimiya and the group of companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Gap İnşaat Yatırım ve Dış Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (Turkey) and Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan) on cooperation in the design, procurement and turnkey construction of a urea plant with a capacity of 1,155 thousand tons per year in the village of Kiyanly in the Balkan region of Turkmenistan.

The State Concern Turkmenhimiya also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with the Japanese companies Kawasaki Heavy Industries, LTD. and ITOCHU Corporation. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the SC Turkmenhimiya and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, LTD. on Additional Agreement No. 3 for the supply and technical maintenance of a plant for the production of gasoline from gas in the Ahal velayat.

The package of bilateral documents included a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and the Japanese "Sumitomo Corporation Power & Mobility".

In addition, the parties signed the Convention between Turkmenistan and Japan for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with Respect to Taxes on Income and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion.

Following the joint meeting, a Protocol was signed.

The program of the visit of the Japanese delegation to Turkmenistan includes meetings and negotiations in the Government and state institutions.

ORIENT

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