Oriented on making people closer

Vice President of Turkey Cevdet Yilmaz and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Nokerguly Atagulyev held a press conference following the 8th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission held in Ankara on February 25. Yilmaz said that the strong ties between Turkey and Turkmenistan, based on common language, religion, culture and history, are strengthening every day thanks to mutual high-level visits.

Cevdet Yilmaz said that the signed IGC protocol, which includes 87 articles, provides, among other things, for the organization of the 12th fair of Turkish export products hosted by Turkmenistan and the fair of Turkmen products hosted by Turkey in 2025.

Individual points of the protocol concern the development of cooperation in the field of energy and ensuring access of Turkmen gas to world markets through Turkey, the development of the international trans-Caspian East-West corridor (Middle Corridor), the creation of a joint customs committee and a simplified customs corridor, and the acceleration of negotiations on the modernization of the current Agreement on Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investments.

The joint document consolidated the parties' commitment to expanding contacts between business circles, strengthening cooperation in the field of health tourism and in training personnel for the agricultural sector, as well as between the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. An action plan was formulated to develop cooperation in the field of entrepreneurship. It was noted that the volume of trade between Turkey and Turkmenistan reached $2.2 billion in 2024. However, the parties set the task of raising the bar to $5 billion. To achieve this goal, business events such as cross-export fairs will be held.

Cevdet Yilmaz, noting a number of prestigious projects implemented in Turkmenistan by Turkish contractors, expressed the interest of Turkish businesses in such large-scale projects as the construction of Ashgabat City and the second stage of the city of Arkadag, Turkish media reported.

“In the energy sector, thanks to the agreement signed between BOTAŞ and Turkmengaz, we expect the start of Turkmen gas supplies to Turkey from March 1, 2025,” Yılmaz said and made the following statement:

"In the first stage, we are talking about 1.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas supplied through the swap method. We believe that in later stages, the figures will reach higher values, and that Turkmen gas and electricity will enter world markets, especially in Europe, via Turkey. In addition, we continue to work on the participation of state-owned companies such as TPAO and BOTAŞ in infrastructure investments aimed at developing hydrocarbon deposits in Turkmenistan and transporting these resources."

ORIENT

Photo: iha.com.tr