Viewing results 1 - 6 of 39
Last week in Kazakhstan, delegates came together for the 87th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) of Central Asia, where they discussed the potential and limitations of regional water reservoirs ahead of the 2023-2024 agricultural growing season. According to the ICWC, some of the more pressing questions focused on confirming limits of water usage for the 2024 growing season for the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins and the prognosis for water release from the reservoirs in those basins. There's still no information on how much water will be sent to the Aral Sea basin. In accordance with the quota, the draw on water from the Amu Darya watershed will be 56 billion cubic meters for the year, with about 40 billion cubic meters to be used in the April-to-October growing season. As stated in the ICWC agreement, Uzbekistan will receive 16 billion cubic meters, Turkmenistan 15.5 billion cubic meters, and Tajikistan will get 6.9 billion cubic meters. The Syr Darya's water use quota for this year's growing season is around 11.9 billion cubic meters, with 8.8 billion cubic meters going to Uzbekistan, 1.9 billion cubic meters for Tajikistan, 920 million cubic meters for Kazakhstan, and 270 million cubic meters for Kyrgyzstan. According to the ICWC, the totals for irrigated lands by Central Asian country are 4.3 million hectares in Uzbekistan, 2.5 million hectares in Kazakhstan, 1.9 million hectares in Turkmenistan, 1 million hectares in Kyrgyzstan, and 680,000 in Tajikistan.
Turkmenistan's Caspian Sea port of Turkmenbashi has started shipping cargo to the Russian port of Olya on the Turkmenistan-flagged ferry Bagtyyar, according to a report from the Turkmen Sea and River Routes (Turkmendeñizderýaýollary) Agency. The agency calls this voyage an important step towards the development of trade relations between Turkmenistan and Russia -- and an opportunity for the national merchant fleet to deliver perishable goods to their destination on time. The Bagtyyar, which according to Marine Optima was built in 2015 and has a summer deadweight tonnage (DWT) of just over 3,300 tons, is equipped with modern safety and navigation systems which guarantee cargo safety. Additionally, the Turkmen side says it's ready to open a shipping route for grain crops to be transited from the southern regions of Russia through the Caspian Sea to the countries of the Persian Gulf and other markets. At the port of Turkmenbashi, goods can be transshipped through the free zone without customs fees for up to three years. 2018 saw the opening of the port of Turkmenbashi, which increased access to markets throughout the Middle East and Europe. The project, worth $1.5 billion, was carried out by Gap Inşaat, a company based in Turkey. With the exception of oil products, the port can handle 17 million tons of different types of cargo annually. Four terminals (general cargo, container, bulk cargo and car ferries) are located on an area of more than 150 hectares.
On 14 April, delegations led by Rashid Meredov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and John Pommersheim, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, attended an annual political consultation in Ashgabat. The meeting focused on the current state and prospects for the development of Turkmen-American relations in political, trade, economic, ecology, culture, education, and humanitarian sectors. According to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, both parties confirmed their commitment to cultural and educational programs, through monthly meetings, and approved a joint road map in the field of education. The American delegation welcomed Turkmenistan's accession to the Global Methane Commitment which underlines both countries’ determination to resolve environmental problems and create sustainable socio-economic development. The parties welcomed the establishment of inter-parliamentary cooperation as essential for maintaining contacts and coordinated approaches to resolving pressing issues.
A group of managers from Turkmenistan's Balkan Shipyard visited the Netherlands recently, and held a number of meetings with local shipbuilding companies, the Turkmen company reported. Balkan Shipyard is interested in constructing dredgers -- boats or barges fitted with special machines that are used to deepen existing harbors, rivers, and canals -- in Turkmenistan, as well as providing their staff with further training. The shipyard's managers discussed the production of an electric dredger with the managements of three Dutch companies: De Klopp BV, Royal IHC and Damen Shipyards Group. As a result of these meetings, Balkan Shipyard has announced that the CSD 650 dredger will be built at a shipyard in Turkmenistan, supervised by engineers from Damen. In October 2023 managers from the state agency Turkmendeňizderýaýollary (Turkmen Sea and River Roads) discussed with Damen Shipyards Group the possibility of building a dredger at a factory in Turkmenistan. Additionally, Korea’s Koryo Shipbuilding Industry Technology Co., Ltd. has reportedly transferred some proprietary construction technologies to Balkan Shipyard, which will increase the capacity of the Turkmen factory from four to five vessels per year.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced that it intends to hold an exhibition of its export goods in Turkmenistan, according to a bulletin from Turkmenistan's Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. To increase exports and international trade, the Afghan ministry intends to host over 30 exhibitions both domestically and internationally in the coming months. After the previous exhibition of their products held on March 4-6 of this year, Afghan manufacturers signed a number of contracts with Turkmen companies. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan, ordered 100,000 cubic meters of marble from Afghanistan, to be used in the construction of buildings in the city of Arkadag. Turkmenistan also will buy 50,000 tons of iron and 6,000 tons of steel beams.
The resolution “2025: International Year of Peace and Trust” was unanimously adopted at the 63rd plenary session of United Nations General Assembly's 78th session -- a resolution that was put forth by the delegation from Turkmenistan. The resolution was suggested to increase trust between nations, and encourage disputes to be settled peacefully through diplomatic channels. Eighty-six members of the organization voted to accept the resolution.
