Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Welcomes the Deepening of the Turkmenistan-PRC Strategic Partnership

During a friendly visit to the People's Republic of China, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, gave an extensive interview to CGTN, one of the world's largest television networks.

We present to you an excerpt from this conversation:

"Our cooperation covers key areas such as energy, transport, communications, high technology, the textile and agro-industrial complexes, and several others. A unique experience of mutually beneficial partnership in the oil and gas in

dustry has been accumulated. There are also promising developments in the field of renewable energy, taking into account the experience and capabilities of the People's Republic of China.

In cooperation with China, our transport sector is developing at a high pace. Let me provide specific examples: 90 percent of the wagons and locomotives operated on the railways of Turkmenistan are manufactured in China.

In addition to the purchase of Chinese wagons and diesel locomotives, a partnership is being carried out to develop transport and transit corridors in the East–West direction.

In 2014, a railway line over 750 kilometers long was commissioned, passing through the territories of neighboring countries and connecting China with Turkmenistan. In recent years, purchases of Chinese vehicles, mainly buses, have significantly increased.

I am confident that our countries possess all the conditions to combine capabilities for the development of trade communications in the Caspian Sea, with access to terminals in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

I would like to note that all of this corresponds to China’s 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and Turkmenistan’s strategy for the 'Revival of the Great Silk Road'."