TURKMENISTAN OFFERS TO SUPPLYI GAS TO MONGOLIA

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ After the tete-a-tete meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia L.Purevsuren and the Deputy PM and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.O.Meredow signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on Partial Visa-Exemption on June 3. The agreement facilitates the citizens of the two countries with diplomatic and official passports to visit each other without visas within 90 days. The Ministers also signed an Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding and called a press briefing. Mr Purevsuren said this visit is the first high level interaction since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, "our ties with Turkmenistan--who derives from a Turkic empire that once had lived on a territory of Mongolia--had been boosting in times this country used to be a part of former USSR". Now Turkmenistan is a rapidly growing economy and the fourth largest reserve of natural gas in the world, he went on. It obtained a status of neutrality in accordance with the UN resolution, he added. The Mongolian FM, mentioning that the Presidents of Mongolia and Turkmenistan met during the SCO Summit in Dushanbe last September and discussed an intensifying of the relations, said,"We have exchanged views on the cooperation in energy, agriculture, tourism and cultural spheres and have agreed on concluding the associated agreements and deals in the near future. Turkmenistan offers to supply natural gas to Mongolia. Our side will consider the issue and give a response soon". In Turkmenistan’s Deputy PM and FM Mr Meredow noted that the official talks had touched upon the bilateral relations and an upcoming this year a visit of the Mongolian President to Turkmenistan. Mongolia is a country that prioritizes peace and promotes development, as it is a member of the United Nations and other international communities, he said. Turkmenistan has consistently been supporting the foreign policies of Mongolia ever since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. "Our country is interested in developing cooperation with Mongolia in politics, economy and humanitarian spheres," he said.