By IINA
Ankara : Turkish President Abdullah Gul and visiting Turkmenistan President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov yesterday expressed their mutual will for improving bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two countries. Berdymukhamedov and Gul, in a joint declaration released following their meeting, cited “energy” as one of the fields in which the two countries would seek opportunities to increase bilateral cooperation, Today’s Zaman daily reported. As with the energy field, Ankara and Ashgabat also agreed to encourage the establishment of joint ventures and production facilities in the textiles, transportation, communication, tourism, construction and banking sectors, the joint declaration noted.
Ankara aspires to become a regional energy hub between Western consumers and Eastern gas and oil producers. Turkmenistan sits on one- fourth of world’s known reserves of oil.
Officials said no concrete development was made during yesterday’s talks regarding transportation of Turkmen gas to European markets through Turkey. The same officials cited ongoing problems concerning the status of the Caspian Sea as the main reason behind the absence of such a development. Nonetheless, both of the presidents gave highly positive messages concerning the consequences of Berdymukhamedov’s first-ever visit to the Turkish capital, while speaking at a joint press conference following their meeting.
“I want to state that our talks were useful, productive and had a content that will light the way for and guide our future,” Gul said. “We have agreed that commercial and economic cooperation — which is one of the most dynamic fields of our bilateral relations — will gain a much more diversified and deepened quality than it has today.