Zubkov to attend CIS agro forum and hold talks with Turkmen leadership.

24/11 Tass 444

MOSCOW, November 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian First Deputy Prime Minister
Viktor Zubkov will make a working visit to Turkmenistan on November 25-26,
an official at the Russian government said on Tuesday.

During the visit to Ashgabat, Zubkov will attend the opening of the
CIS Agricultural Forum and hold talks with the Turkmenistani senior
officials.
The program of the forum envisages workshops and an exhibition of
agricultural products and machinery of the member countries of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the official said.
Taking part in the exhibition will be more than 20 Russian leading
agricultural companies, including the Rostov Agricultural Equipment
Company (Rostselmash), the St. Petersburg Tractor Plant, the Kirov plant,
and Russia's major producer of agricultural machinery Agromashholding, as
well as enterprises of the Altai Territory and the Republic of Tatarstan.
The governmental official is confident that the forum will become a
good floor for the development of Russian-Turkmenistani cooperation in the
spheres of agriculture, machine building, enhancement of the agricultural
cooperation between the CIS countries, and settlement of the food security
problems in the CIS as a whole.
The Russian delegation, headed by Zubkov, will meet with their
counterparts from CIS member countries to discuss implementation of
innovative technologies in the production and processing of food, supplies
of agricultural machinery and equipment, and efficient use of bio
resources, the official said.
The discussion of the above-mentioned issues will continue in the
format of bilateral talks between the Russian first deputy prime minister
and the Turkmenistani leadership, he said.
In addition, the sides plan to consider implementation of the
decisions made during the 4th meeting of the Russian-Turkmenistani
Economic Cooperation Commission, which has held in Moscow on October 8.
Back then, Zubkov and Turkmenistani Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of
Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov co-chaired the meeting.
The sides are expected to focus on implementation of particular
projects in the spheres of trade and economic interaction, as well as in
the energy sector, education and transport, the official said.
On the total, the Russia's governmental official hailed the level of
trade and economic relations between Russia and Turkmenistan.
"Despite the global financial and economic crisis, bilateral trade
(excluding gas supplies) increased by more than 30 percent in
January-September, and reached 832 million U.S. dollars," the official
said.
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