ASHGABAT (TCA) — Azerbaijan is Turkmenistan’s main neighbor in the Caspian Sea region, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov said during his official visit to Baku on August 8, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reports.
During his talks with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Berdymukhammedov spoke about transport initiatives in the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Turkey formats. Turkmenistan also welcomes the project of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars transport corridor that will connect the railway networks of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. This project that will promote the development of trade in the region is now close to completion.
Berdymukhammedov noted that in January-June 2017, trade between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan had increased up to 40 percent as compared to the same period of 2016, saying that the existing mutual opportunities had not been used in full and the current level of the trade partnership does not reflect the real potential of the two countries.
Berdymukhammedov emphasized that Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan need to launch large-scale projects of industrial cooperation, interaction in the services and agricultural sectors.
The President of Turkmenistan also suggested intensifying the partnership between the business circles of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, by opening of Trade Houses in Baku and Ashgabat and establishing a Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan Business Council.