Elvira Kadyrova
On 19-20 January 2023, the Turkmen-Russian Forum is being held in Ashgabat.
The purpose of the forum is a full–scale deepening of trade, economic and industrial cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan.
The number of participants from both sides is impressive – more than 300 representatives of business circles and organizations, including 220 companies from 40 Russian regions and 110 companies from the Turkmen side attended the forum.
The Russian delegation consists of representatives of the presidential administration, parliament, Russian Export Center, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ministries of Education and Science, Agriculture, Transport, Construction, the Ministry of Economic Development, etc.
Chairman of the Government of Russia Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov addressed at the plenary session of the forum.
Today, on 20 January 2023, Mishustin will meet with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov. The sides will discuss topical issues of developing Russian-Turkmen cooperation in trade, economic, transport, industrial, energy, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
In addition, ministries, departments and business circles will hold bilateral meetings. It is planned to hold a joint meeting of the Turkmen-Russian and Russian-Turkmen business councils, the signing of some bilateral documents will take place.
The trade and exhibition platform for Russian manufacturers “Trading House of Russia” will open today.
Rashid Meredov spoke about the main areas of Turkmen-Russian cooperation
(based on reports by Turkmen and Russian media outlets)
The extensive Russian delegation represented in Ashgabat testifies to the growing interest in building up ties between Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation, Turkmen foreign minister said. This forum is an important stage in the development of the entire partnership. Thanks to the efforts of the parties, cooperation has acquired a clear focus on a specific end result, he added.
According to Meredov, the foundation of the Turkmen-Russian relations is a broad base covering all sectors of the economy, and the main determining factor of the dialogue is contacts at the highest state level.
“Last year, 5 meetings were held between the Presidents of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Russia Vladimir Putin, at which mutual readiness for the current development of cooperation was confirmed,” the Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister stressed.
During his speech, Rashid Meredov highlighted the main branches of Turkmen-Russian cooperation – oil and gas industry, transport and logistics sector, shipbuilding.
“Speaking about the energy sector, I would like to note the bilateral cooperation on all its three main components – gas, oil and electric power. We note here the growing activity of Tatneft and Gazprom companies in the oil and gas sectors of Turkmenistan. We plan to further expand joint activities in the oil and gas industry,” he said.
Meredov added that in the field of electric power industry, work is currently underway on a project to attract Power Machines JSC (St. Petersburg) to modernize power plant in Mary and Turkmenbashi.
Serious prospects are opening up in transport and logistics, where cooperation in the field of railway transport and shipbuilding takes on a special priority. We are talking, first of all, about the eastern route of the international North-South transport and transit corridor.
Joint efforts in this area are currently being made with Russian partners, particularly with the management of the Russian Railways. According to the preliminary results of last year, there was a 4-fold increase in transit traffic of Russian goods through Turkmenistan to other countries of the region, and the transportation of containers within the framework of this transit increased significantly.
In the context of logistics cooperation on the Caspian Sea, the importance of fully utilizing transportation between two countries along the lines of the ports of Turkmenbashi–Astrakhan and Turkmenbashi–Makhachkala was discussed.
The increasing and diversifying mutual trade turnover in general and business bilateral ties open up good prospects for the participation of the Turkmen side in the activities of the special economic zone “Lotos” in Astrakhan.
He also noted the traditionally important role of Turkmenistan’s direct ties with the subjects of the Russian Federation in the development of interstate relations. “Over the past years, we have developed special constructive and mutually beneficial partnerships with the Republic of Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, and the Astrakhan region. We know that a number of other regions of Russia, in particular, Chelyabinsk, Orel, Sverdlovsk regions, show interest in working with Turkmenistan. We welcome this aspiration and are ready for a substantive discussion of such plans with the leadership and business circles of the regions of Russia,” the foreign minister said.
Among the promising areas of cooperation, the sphere of high technologies was highlighted.
“We single out the sphere of high technologies as a viable area of bilateral cooperation. We know that the Russian government pays special attention to this segment. <…> Turkmenistan is ready to participate in this process, in particular, we are interested in the Russian experience in creating and developing technology parks, IT and Hi-tech centers,” Meredov said.
In the context of humanitarian cooperation, Turkmen FM mentioned the cross-cultural days, the recent tour of the Great Moscow State Circus in Ashgabat, interuniversity cooperation. To date, more than 30,000 Turkmen citizens study in Russian universities, agreements have been signed between a number of universities.
Russian language is supported at the state level in Turkmenistan, he stressed. “Today there are 71 general education schools in the country with instruction in Russian, a joint Turkmen-Russian school named after Pushkin, as well as a school named after Makhtumkuli in the Astrakhan region”, he told.
The project initiated by the leadership of Turkmenistan to create a Turkmen-Russian university in our country is intended to become a new stage in this area. To implement this project, a special Working Group has been created, which is working with Russian colleagues to prepare the legal and organizational base of the new university, Meredov said.
The Turkmen side has decided to build a new building of the Pushkin Russian Drama Theater in Ashgabat.
Speech by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin
Here is the slightly paraphrased translation of the remarks by Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin. For convenience, the text is divided into subheadings according to the topics covered in the speech:
Dear Rashid Ovezgeldyevich! Dear colleagues! Dear friends!
I am glad to welcome all participants and guests of the forum. I would like to thank the organizers and personally President of Turkmenistan Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov for the warm welcome and hospitality.
This is the first-ever such large-scale business forum in the history of Russian-Turkmen relations. I am sure that it will help establish new ties between entrepreneurs, will lay the foundation for many promising projects.
About the economic situation of Russia
Now we are all working in non-standard conditions. The reformatting of the global financial and economic architecture is underway. The usual mechanisms no longer work. Currencies that were considered world units of account have shown their unreliability. There is severe pressure on our country and those who seek to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with us.
But this is not only a time of great challenges. It opens up new opportunities for us, first of all, to strengthen sovereignty in various spheres, including economic, financial, technological.
Last year showed that Russia is coping with new challenges. The main tasks are being solved. Social obligations to citizens are fulfilled in full.
The economy is adapting. The decline in gross domestic product turned out to be much less than the values predicted by western opponents. According to preliminary data, for the year it was only 2.5%. Inflation is below 12%. Which is better than in a number of European countries.
Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin noted that the financial and banking systems and the economy as a whole are in a stable state.
Opportunities for economic partnership and industrial cooperation with Turkmenistan
We sincerely value friendship, good neighborliness and strategic partnership with Turkmenistan. The trade turnover between our countries is now at about a US $ 1 billion. Undoubtedly, the potential of economic cooperation is much higher. We see good opportunities for deepening cooperation and expanding the spheres of cooperation. To do this, we will boost our joint work.
Turkmen entrepreneurs with their high-quality and competitive products can occupy some of the niches that have been vacated due to the withdrawal of a number of foreign corporations from the Russian market.
We can talk not only about increasing the flow of goods, but also about the creation of joint ventures, the construction of modern industrial, energy, transport facilities. And today, I would say, is the best time for this. Russian manufacturers are reorienting from the European direction to mutually beneficial projects in friendly countries, which, of course, includes Turkmenistan.
Many of our companies attend the business forum. All of them are ready to discuss concrete proposals for the development of cooperation. For us, the concepts of business ethics, the obligation to fulfill contracts are not empty words. Russia and Turkmenistan have always been and will always be reliable partners for each other.
Last year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation, as well as the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. All these years, joint work has been successfully developing in a wide range of areas. And now it is reaching a new level.
The leaders of our countries – President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov signed a Declaration on deepening strategic partnership in Moscow last June. 14 new agreements were inked, including on joint projects in agriculture and trade, banking, information, transport and on strengthening interregional cooperation.
In general, almost 300 international documents have been signed between Turkmenistan and Russia. About 200 enterprises with Russian participation work here. Energy plays a significant role in our economic ties, Rashid Ovezgeldievich spoke about this in detail today. At the same time, we are actively developing other areas, including agriculture and the textile industry. We are ready to increase the supply of machinery products.
One of the important priorities is the development of industrial cooperation. We have successfully implemented a number of major projects. Russian machine builders have delivered seven diesel locomotives for the railways of Turkmenistan over the past couple of years. Our trucks, primarily KAMAZ trucks, are very popular here. Now, together with the Turkmen partners, Russian automakers are working on a portfolio of new orders this year.
There is a great potential in the field of shipbuilding cooperation, which should be built on a mutually beneficial basis using the construction sites of the two countries.
North-South transport corridor and transport cooperation
At the same time, we attach special importance to the formation of international transport routes. And here our position completely coincides with the approaches of our Turkmen colleagues. Together we are working on the development of the international transport corridor “North – South”. This will open up a wide field of opportunities for business related to the construction of infrastructure, service and trade and logistics centers, modernization of seaports.
In particular, one of the promising joint projects that is currently being discussed is the construction of a highway along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. It is necessary to increase the cargo turnover of Russian and Turkmen ports in the Caspian Sea, expand the supply of railway locomotives, freight and passenger cars.
An important place in bilateral relations is occupied by partnerships with Russian regions. St. Petersburg maintains close contacts with Ashgabat. The Republic of Tatarstan demonstrates consistently high dynamics of cooperation. The Astrakhan region has many plans and projects, including in terms of establishing regular service between the ports of Olya and Turkmenbashi. In general, about 60 Russian subjects actively interact with Turkmenistan. Agreements have been concluded with many of them in trade, economic, scientific and technical fields and many others.
I would like to emphasize that Russia is one of the leading trade and economic partners of Turkmenistan. And we intend to make active efforts to increase our cooperation.
The Russian government and state credit and export support institutions will provide entrepreneurs with the necessary assistance.
Russia ready to simplify visa regime for Turkmen businessmen
Together with our Turkmen colleagues, we are ready to consider the possibilities of simplifying customs, veterinary and phytosanitary control procedures, and easing the visa regime for business representatives.
During this forum, we hope to hear your ideas on creating a favorable business environment and promoting joint projects. After all, it is you, representatives of the business community, who better than anyone feel the factors constraining entrepreneurial activity and initiative.
Russia invites Turkmenistan to its international economic forums
And taking advantage of our meeting, I would like to inform you about several international events planned in Russia in the first half of the year. First of all, we invite our Turkmen colleagues to take part in the international economic forum “Russia – the Islamic World”, which will be held in Kazan in May. There it will be possible to discuss areas of cooperation in such areas as finance, investment, entrepreneurial initiative, the high-tech industry, and many others.
A busy agenda is expected in early June in Sochi. Meetings of the CIS Council of Heads of Government, the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, the international exhibition of cooperation projects “Eurasia is our Home”, as well as the Eurasian Congress are planned to be held there.
And of course, I invite representatives of the business community and the authorities of Turkmenistan to take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in mid-June, one of the most significant business events in the world.
Turkmenistan and the EAEU
In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about the prospects of our cooperation in the regional integration format. We see Turkmenistan’s interest in exploring cooperation in the Eurasian Economic Union.
The EAEU has proven its stability and effectiveness in the most difficult conditions, starting with global economic crises and ending with the coronavirus pandemic. Turkmenistan’s involvement in integration processes will have a positive impact on the country’s economy and will be useful for all the “five” countries. It will allow us to implement many important projects for the citizens of our states.
Dear friends! I am convinced that the traditionally friendly ties between Russia and Turkmenistan, a strategic partnership based on trust, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests, will serve as a guarantee of a qualitative increase in trade and economic ties for the prosperity of our countries. I would like to wish all participants of the forum a productive discussion, interesting business contacts and new mutually beneficial agreements.
Rustam Minnikhanov noted considerable potential for the development of Turkmen-Tatarstan relations
The President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov addressed the participants of the forum with a welcoming speech.
Rustam Minnikhanov expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the Government of Russia Mikhail Mishustin and the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov for the opportunity to participate in the opening of the Turkmen-Russian forum, support in the implementation of joint projects and great attention to the development of interregional ties.
Tatarstan, as one of the leading industrially developed regions of the Russian Federation, actively participates in the development of cooperation between our countries, Rustam Minnikhanov stressed.
He recalled that leading companies have been successfully operating in Turkmenistan for many years – such as KAMAZ, Tatneft, Kazan Helicopter Plant, KER Holding, shipbuilding company and others. “The car centers have been opened in the cities of Turkmenistan – Turkmenbashi, Mary, Turkmenabat, in addition, another car center is being prepared for opening this year – in Dashoguz. Work is underway to further open new projects,” Rustam Minnikhanov stressed.
As for cooperation with the KVZ (Kazan Helicopter Plant), Turkmenistan has received an Ansat medical helicopter designed to provide emergency first aid to the population.
Zelenodolsk Plant named after Gorky delivered high-speed passenger ships to Turkmenistan, and further there are plans to build a container ship.
KER-holding cooperates with Turkmen partners on issues of gas turbine engines.
“There is considerable potential for developing ties in such areas as oil exploration, oil production, and gas transportation, automobile, aviation, and shipbuilding, energy, supply of chemical products, pharmaceuticals and medicine, agro-industrial complex and many other areas,” the President of Tatarstan noted.
In 2021, the volume of our (Turkmenistan-Tatarstan) trade turnover amounted to US $ 77.5 million, Rustam Minnikhanov said, unfortunately, the pandemic and other circumstances have reduced the trade exchange, but active work on its growth continues.
“I would like to thank the leadership of Turkmenistan for the opening of the Consulate General in Kazan, which is working successfully. There is a representative office of the Republic of Tatarstan in Ashgabat. And of course, I would like to thank the country’s leadership for having direct flights with Turkmenistan. Cooperation in the fields of culture, science, sports and tourism is also important. The number of Turkmen students studying in our Tatarstan universities is growing every year. Currently, there are 6,212 students. This is almost a quarter of all foreign students who study in the republic,” Minnikhanov said.
Turkmenistan confidently occupies the first position in the number of foreign students in the Republic of Tatarstan.
“We are grateful to the Turkmen side for the support of Tatars living in Turkmenistan, approximately – about 15,000 people. Also in the Republic of Tatarstan, we pay great attention to the national and cultural autonomy of the Turkmen. There are more than 3,000 of them today,” Rustam Minnikhanov stressed.
He invited the Turkmen delegation to take part in the International Forum “KazanSummit. Russia – the Islamic World”, as well as to participate in other events that take place in the republic.
Russian business circles offer Turkmenistan new areas of cooperation, show willingness to increase non-resource exports
Today it is important to find new points of contact between Russian and Turkmen businesses, expand existing business ties in order to turn them into specific projects, jobs and business profits. This was stated by the minister for economic development of Russia Maxim Reshetnikov, speaking at the plenary session of the forum.
According to Reshetnikov, in 2022, the countries managed to successfully restructure exports and imports, increasing the indicators of mutual trade.
In the future, the resumption of the Russian-Turkmen Business Council, whose meeting is also scheduled within the framework of the forum program, will contribute to deepening business cooperation and investment growth.
” The Ashgabat forum demonstrated that business seeks to focus on the outcome rather than the process. Companies are coming up with concrete solutions. It is planned to sign more than 20 bilateral documents within the framework of the forum. Of course, this is the result of the work of all our dialogue platforms, where issues of cooperation between the two countries are resolved through joint efforts at all levels,” the Russian minister for economic development said.
Reshetnikov expressed Russia’s readiness to increase the non-primary exports to Turkmenistan, including products of high complexity: chemical, machine-technical, pipe, oil and gas equipment, which is in demand for large infrastructure projects implemented in Turkmenistan.
In turn, Russia is interested in increasing the imports of agricultural products and textiles from Turkmenistan.
Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, also underlined the interest of Russian companies in the Turkmen market.
According to him, industrial products such as metallurgical, machine-building, chemicals and others share over 60% of the trade turnover between Turkmenistan and Russia.
“It should be noted that Russian companies approach the work in the Turkmen market in a comprehensive manner, and, in addition to the supply of machinery and equipment, pay special attention to the issues of service maintenance, personnel training and others. A striking example of this approach is the activity of the company “Kamaz”, which develops not only a sales network, but also a network for the repair and maintenance of cars. And the plans include the creation of new joint ventures in various areas of cooperation,” TASS quotes the deputy minister as saying.
Gruzdev stressed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia is striving for deeper industrial cooperation. Promising areas such as metallurgy, chemical industry, civil shipbuilding.
The Russian Export Center Group is ready to support new large-scale projects in Turkmenistan in the oil and gas sector, as well as projects to modernize the railway infrastructure. The statement came from the general director of the Russian Export Center Veronika Nikishina.
“We have been successfully working with our colleagues and clients in Turkmenistan for several years. Among other things, we help to find a reliable Russian supplier, reduce the cost of logistics through a special state program and, as a result, increase the efficiency of cooperation between Russian and Turkmen companies, provide analytical support and much more,” she said.
According to Nikishina, the parties are currently developing further plans for the implementation of projects in the field of oil and gas infrastructure, construction of car repair facilities and digital solutions in education.
The Russian Export Center (REC Group) is a state institute for the support of non-primary exports, which provides financial and non-financial assistance to companies of all industries at all stages of entering foreign markets.
One of the topics raised during the discussions of trade cooperation was the issue of switching to settlements in national currencies.
“Regarding business, the following urgent issues have the most necessary solutions under the current circumstances. Firstly, it is necessary to work on improving cooperation in the financial sphere: we are talking not only about solving current problems in mutual settlements, but also creating appropriate conditions for switching to national currencies in settlements, said Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (CCI).
Secondly, he proposed to improve the business climate through creation of a so-called green corridor for mutual supplies of Russian and Turkmen products.
On Turkmen-Russian investment cooperation
According to the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, more than 20 investment projects with the participation of Russian business worth about US $ 3.5 billion are being implemented in Turkmenistan today.
And as the Minister of Economy and Finance of Turkmenistan Mukhammetgeldy Serdarov stated, 30 economic entities with the participation of Russian capital are engaged in economic activity in Turkmenistan. As of 1 January 2023, 340 investment projects with the participation of Russian capital totaling more than US $ 3.5 billion were registered in the country, TASS reports.
According to the Turkmen stance, voiced by Serdarov, Turkmenistan sees innovative and high-tech industries, digital technologies, cooperation in the processing of gas, oil, and agricultural raw materials as the most promising sectors for investment.
“We also consider it necessary to join our efforts to form a commodity distribution system that will allow us to comprehensively address the issues of developing trade infrastructure and creating export channels. In this regard, we propose to consider the harmonization of legislation in the field of digital commerce and related areas, customs procedures, certification and others,” the minister said.
“Given the rapidly growing diversification of the economy of Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation, the existing resource and human resources potential, the scale of trade and investment cooperation can be much higher. The development of joint ventures on the territory of Turkmenistan can contribute to increasing cooperation and integration of economic ties between our countries,” the minister concluded.
Turkmen-Russian transport cooperation
TASS: The volume of transit of Russian goods through Turkmenistan in 2022 has increased fourfold
According to preliminary data, the number of Russian cargo transported through Turkmenistan in 2022 has increased fourfold compared to the level of the previous year. This was announced by the foreign minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov.
“We see a serious prospect of partnership in transport and logistics. Cooperation in the field of railway transport and shipbuilding takes on a special priority here. First of all, we are talking about the functioning of the eastern route of the international transport and transit corridor “North-South”. We are working on this topic with Russian partners, in particular with the management of the Russian Railways company. <…> We have a fourfold increase in transit traffic of Russian goods through Turkmenistan to other countries of the region over the past year, according to the preliminary results of 2022,” he said.
Meredov pointed out that the amount of containers being transported as part of this transit has multiplied many times.
“In the context of logistics cooperation in the Caspian Sea, we emphasize the importance of fully engaging transportation between Turkmenistan and Russia along the lines of the ports of Turkmenbashi – Astrakhan and Turkmenbashi – Makhachkala. From the point of view of increasing and diversifying mutual trade turnover, in general, business relations between our countries, we see good prospects for the participation of the Turkmen side in the activities of the special economic zone Lotos in Astrakhan,” he added.
The International North-South Transport Corridor
“The huge transit potential of Turkmenistan attracts our entrepreneurs. The North-South transport route provides the access for cargo flows from Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf, to the ports of Iran and India, and the East-West route is convenient for the transit of goods from Southern and Central Europe to the countries of South and Southeast Asia and China. The unique geographical position makes Turkmenistan an important transit hub, contributes to the growth of trade between our countries,” minister for economic development Reshetnikov stressed.
The key project for the development of the Russian-Turkmen partnership, according to him, is the project for the development of the eastern route of INSTC. In the context of the restructuring of international trade, it provides additional opportunities for the development of many countries, he told.
“The test travel of container trains on the eastern route of the North-South corridor showed that the cargo is delivered 3 days faster than on the traditional sea route from the Black Sea ports. At the same time, the cost of transportation is comparable. This significantly reduces the costs of companies and allows Russian products to enter the markets of third countries through Turkmenistan,” he added.
The topic of promotion of the eastern branch of INSTC was detailed at the meeting of the Director General of the Agency of Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Mammetkhan Chakiyev and the head of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov.
Oleg Belozerov noted that the freight traffic between Russia and Turkmenistan posted 11% growth in 2022 compared to 2021. Over the previous year, there were 73.6% more containers moved.
He also spoke about the measures taken to increase cargo flows along the eastern route of INSTC. Here are the main ones:
- Together with Turkmen colleagues, since October 2022, Russian Railways has organized a regular monthly container transportation service by block trains;
- special tariffs have been established for the transportation of containers from Russia to Iran in transit via the railways of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan;
- to fully realize the potential of the eastern route, it is planned to improve the entire transport and logistics chain: loading at terminals in Russia, passing through the Turkmen-Iranian border crossings, where containers are reloaded onto Iranian wagons of 1435 mm gauge, ensuring cargo delivery to consignees in Iran;
- Russian Railways also delivers non-containerized cargo, in particular, to India. Shipments of a number of goods through Turkmenistan and Iran to the UAE, Turkiye and other countries are being worked out;
- The growth of traffic volumes will require modernization and construction of the railway infrastructure of Turkmenistan, in which Russian Railways are ready to participate.
In addition, Chakiyev and Belozerov discussed prospects for cooperation in the fields of digitalization, agrologistics and training of professional personnel.
Russian companies electrify the Turkmenbashi-Turkmenabad railway line
Russian companies are already participating in the modernization of the route on the territory of Turkmenistan. They are electrifying railway lines spanning 1000 kilometer on the route Turkmenbashi-Ashgabat-Mary-Turkmenabad, said the minister for economic development Maxim Reshetnikov.
Also, the parties are going to sign a contract for the construction of a section of the highway from the border of Kazakhstan to Turkmenbashi.
According to Reshetnikov, the prospects for further developing of the route should be supported by investments.
Russian electric buses, ships and VIP-class cars for Turkmenistan
(based on TASS reporting)
Kamaz delivered two electric buses to Turkmenistan for testing. This is reported by TASS with reference to the general director of Kamaz Sergey Kogogin.
“Today, Kamaz is the leader in Russia in the production of electric buses. <…> We are glad to offer this cars to Turkmenistan, to present an opportunity to evaluate all its advantages. Two Kamaz electric buses and an ultra-fast charging station have been delivered to conduct tests of equipment in the climatic conditions of Turkmenistan. <…> Kamaz is ready to supply electric buses in the quantity required for Turkmenistan,” he said.
The Russian shipyards of St. Petersburg and Tatarstan are negotiating with Turkmenistan on the construction of three vessels – two ferries and one cargo ship for Turkmenistan.
Along with this, the Tatarstan corporation Ak Bars plans to build two dry cargo ships together with the Turkmen ship repair and shipbuilding plant Balkan. “A joint memorandum on the construction of two bulk carriers was signed between our Balkan shipyard and Ak Bars Corporation. Currently, procedures are being carried out to draw up a contract and start the implementation of this project,” Mammetkhan Chakiyev, Director of the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, said.
The Ministry of Industry of Tatarstan plans to prepare a proposal for Turkmenistan for the purchase of Aurus executive class cars. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Industry of Tatarstan Oleg Korobchenko.
“We need to meet with the leadership of Turkmenistan and make them an offer that they will not be able to refuse: these will be our Aurus cars, both armored and conventional in the sedan class,” he said, answering a question from TASS.
Turkmenistan and Russia discussed the entire spectrum of energy cooperation – from the fossil fuel to the peaceful nuclear energy
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak met with Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the oil and gas sector of Turkmenistan, Shakhym Abdrakhmanov.
According to the press service of the Russian government, the parties discussed cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan in the oil and gas sector, electric power industry, renewable energy sources and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Russian companies offer their services in the field of modernization of the electric power system of Turkmenistan with the involvement of Russian contractors for the supply of equipment. Oil companies are ready to participate in joint field development projects in Turkmenistan, the message says.
In particular, Russian companies may take part in the construction of underground gas storage facilities in Turkmenistan, Novak said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
They also discussed cooperation in the field of oil and gas supplies, construction of gas infrastructure, preservation of environmental safety in the Caspian Sea.
Mishustin visited the Joint Turkmen-Russian Pushkin School
Mikhail Mishustin visited the Joint Turkmen-Russian Secondary School named after Sergey Pushkin.
He talked to high schoolers, asking them about their plans for the future.
At the end of the meeting, Acting director of the school Irina Kuminova asked Mishustin to assist in the construction of a new building for an elementary school.
The Prime Minister instructed Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnulin, who is responsible for the construction sector, and the Minister of Education to get involved in solving this issue.
The school operates on the basis of the intergovernmental agreement of 21 January 2002.
Education at the school is conducted according to Russian state educational standards. Electives in chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics and English are available for students. There are sports, choral and choreographic clubs, a chess studio, a journalism room, Pushkin museum, a studio of stage skills. Graduates of the school are issued a certificate of the standard established in the Russian Federation.
The competition for admission to the school annually reaches 8-10 kids per place. The number of students in the 2022/23 academic year is 1,526. ///nCa, 20 January 2023 (photo source – official websites of Russian government and President of Tatarstan)