Monday, April 30, 2012 -
The presidents of Turkmenistan and Belarus signed a raft of bilateral accords in the Belarus capital Minsk during a two-day state visit by the Turkmen leader this weekend.
Among them was a deal to ramp up collaboration in their agriculture industries.
“The agreement aims to expand direct economic, manufacturing and scientific links between companies, organizations and research centers of Belarus and Turkmenistan in agribusiness,” the state Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) reported.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov arrived in Belarus on Friday for a two-day official visit.
Berdimuhamedov held summit talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on expanding bilateral ties in all areas.
Lukashenko noted that two-way trade shot up by 400 percent over the last four years to more than $200 million in 2011.
“We should continue working together to preserve and advance the level of economic relations,” BelTA reported the Belarusian leader as saying.
Lukashenko reiterated that a key economic development joining the two countries would be a project to build the Garlyk mining and processing factory. The leaders have discussed this development in previous visits.
“The project has been given a green light, with all emerging issues dealt with swiftly. I am confident that in 2014 – early 2015 we will be able to open the first installation of the potash industry of Turkmenistan but it will not be the last one,” Lukashenko said.
He said that Belarus is willing to play an active role in developing Turkmenistan’s manufacturing potential.
“The joint efforts we have exercised recently have enabled us to achieve concrete and tangible results of the bilateral cooperation. The political dialogue has grown stronger along with trade, economic and humanitarian ties,” said the Belarusian leader.
The Turkmen leader invited his host to visit the Turkmen capital Ashgabat next, while the two agreed to meet on a regular basis.