Turkmenistan 'Eyes Boosting Economic Cooperation' with Bulgaria

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has said his country is interested in boosting ties with Bulgaria on an equal footing.

While on a visit to Bulgaria, he announced at a meeting with Bulgaria's Council of Ministers that a session of the Bulgarian-Turkmen joint intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation is due to take place July 3 and 4 in his country's capital Ashkhabad, public broadcaster BNR reported.

Participants are to take concrete steps to increase cooperation in trade and in the economic sphere, including energy, transportation and communications and also in construction and agriculture.

Bulgaria's Economy Minister Dragomir Stoynev is due to attend the event heading a business delegation.

Representatives of the ministries of transport, agriculture, investment and foreign affairs will also take part.

Turkmenistan's government says the commission was composed an approved briefly before the visit of Berdimuhamedow to Bulgaria.

Berdimuhamedow also met his Bulgarian counterpart, President Rosen Plevneliev, on Monday.

Bulgaria's exports to Turkmenistan were just USD 7 M in 2013, but this is 27% up compared to the previous year.

Bilateral trade turnover in 2013 was USD 76 M, with Bulgaria exporting cigarettes and other tobacco products and importing mostly oil from the other country.

Azerbaijan's Trend news agency also says regarding the upcoming event that Ashkhabad is seeking to increase exports of natural gas and to diversify the routes to boost its presence on major world markets.