ASHGABAT (TCA) — Belarus and Turkmenistan plans to increase bilateral trade up to $500 million, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Kalinin said after the session of the Belarusian-Turkmen commission on economic cooperation in Minsk on May 10, BelTA news agency reported.
“The task is quite challenging, but we will be working to advance our trade and economic cooperation to such a high level,” Kalinin said. He pointed out that in 2016, the trade in goods between Belarus and Turkmenistan exceeded $120 million. Together with the trade in services, it was almost $300 million.
“Today we were talking about new opportunities for growth. Special attention was paid to the supplies of Stadler diesel trains to Turkmenistan, the possibility of increasing the supplies of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and products of Minsk Automobile Plant and Minsk Tractor Works,” Kalinin said.
He added that plans have been made to sell 550 machinery units produced by these enterprises to Turkmenistan in 2017.
On 10 May, Belarus and Turkmenistan signed an action plan and agreed to hold the next session of the intergovernmental commission in Ashgabat.
BelTA also reported that Belarusian road construction companies have been invited to participate in building a motorway in Turkmenistan.
“We have agreed to advance our cooperation in transportation by rail and by road. The Turkmen side has suggested we should take part in the construction of an automobile road in Turkmenistan,” Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Kalinin said.
Kalinin said that Belarus is interested in exporting more railway cars to Turkmenistan. In 2016 as many as 380 railway cars were exported to Turkmenistan.
