Envoy: Ashgabat Ready For Comprehensive Provincial Co-op

Gorgan City, Golestan Prov, Feb 24, IRNA – We are ready for any type of cooperation with Iranˈs Golestan province, such as expansion of cultural, social and economic ties, Ambassador of Turkmenistan Ahmad Qorbanov said here Sunday. ˈOf course this cooperation is based on the will and guidance of both countriesˈ officials,ˈ said the Turkmen envoy in a meeting with the Governor of Golestan province. He said that Golestan province has today turned into an international transit route between Iran and Turkmenistan, adding that the people of his country are highly fond of interactions with Iranˈs Golestan province. He also referred to the construction of Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway, saying, ˈIn my country no more than 20 kilometers of that railway remains unconstructed and the major part of the time is spent for the construction of the train stations the railway buildings, and storage houses.ˈ He expressed hope that based on the planning, in fall season of 2015 and in the presence of the Iranian and Turkmen officials, and if the Kazakh officials, too, would be agreed, all three countries, would at the zero point of their borders simultaneously put to use the railway. ˈOn this coming Wednesday the Iranian and Turkmen officials will have a meeting on the border point of the two countries to discuss the matter,ˈ he said. ˈThere are a countless number of Turkmen living in this (Iranian) province and the tomb of the renowned Turkmen poet Makhtoum Qoli Feraqi, which can contribute greatly to the strengthening of bilateral cultural relations,ˈ said the ambassador of Turkmenistan. Qorbanev added, ˈIn May, 2014 the 219th birth anniversary of this Muslim Turkmen poet will be celebrated and we intend to hold an international congress in that respect with various literary groups from Iran, including the Culture and Islamic Communications Organization, and some other countries guests with which we have had correspondence, and we will invite the Iranian culture and Islamic guidance minister and the governor of Golestan province to attend. He said that some parts of the congress will be held in Golestan province, and consultations for best level, glorious holding of the event will be made with Iranian officials. ˈTwelve PhD dissertations on Makhtoum Qoli have been done in Iran, which is good news for us, and we intend to study them and make them the foundation of a great cultural joint work between the two countries. The Governor of Golestan Province Hassan Sadeqlou, too, expressed hope that the Turkmenistan part of the railway would be completed sooner so that the two countriesˈ relations would expand more than ever before. He also asked for implementation of the memorandum of understanding that was signed a while ago between the two counties. Tehran has the largest volume of trade exchange with Turkmenistan after Russia. The Tajan-Mashhad-Sarakhs railroad, the $139 million Korpeje-Kurt Kui gas pipeline in western Turkmenistan and the $167 million Dousti (Friendship) Dam in the south of the country were built through a joint venture. There are also the Balkanabad-Aliabad power transfer line and several other projects such as the program of fiber-optic communications development, construction of bunkers and other objects in Merve and a refinery in Turkmenbashi, construction of liquefied gas terminals, highways are instances of growing bilateral relations. In 2009 about 100 industrial projects had been built or were being built in Turkmenistan with Iranian help. Annual trade turnover decreased to $1.2 billion in 2009 from $3.2 billion in 2008 mostly because of decrease in the price of oil and gas. Turkmenistan’s exports to Iran increased by 42 percent during January–September 2007. Turkmenistan’s main exports to Iran were natural gas, oil and petrochemical products, as well as textiles. Turkmenistan sold 8 billion cubic meters of gas to Iran in 2010 from 5.8bcm in 2005. Turkmenistan normally supplies 5 percent of Iran’s gas demand. Both countries inaugurated Dauletabad–Sarakhs–Khangiran pipeline in 2010 to raise natural gas supplies to Iran to 20 billion cubic meters a year./end