President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov chaired a regular sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers to consider the priority issues of the current national policy.

Opening the sitting the Turkmen leader emphasized that the current week had been marked with the remarkable events to be evaluated for their significance for further national development. The President said that the sitting was held to consider the progress of the priority national programme aimed at ensuring the economic growth of welfare of the country.

Speaker of the Mejlis A. Nurberdieva reported on the work on improvement of the national legislation in compliance with the priorities of the current stage of national development.

Focusing on importance of implementing the new laws called upon to became an effective mechanism of the reforms initiated in the country Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the members of the Turkmen Parliament should be active participants to the on-going social and political processes, take part in the activities aimed at strengthening self-governmental bodies at the local level, attach paramount importance to the tasks of creating a new model of the social and economic relations, introducing the market elements in rural areas as well, propagating and elucidating the essence of the new approaches to the economic development strategy to the people.

Vice Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov reported on the results of the President’s official visit to the Republic of Turkey emphasizing that the Turkmen-Turkish top-level talks had drawn a wide response worldwide. The head of the foreign affairs ministry reported on the preparations for the Turkmen leader’s visit to Bucharest, Romania, which would host the NATO Summit on April 2-4. Turkmenistan would participate in the forum, which would bring together the leaders of over 50 countries worldwide, for the first time.

Highly appreciating the meetings and talks in the Republic of Turkey and focusing on significance of the agreements reached during the visit Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov put emphasis on the steady implementation of the bilateral documents called upon to expand and intensify Turkmen-Turkish co-operation in all fields. The Turkmen leader said that further intensification of the intergovernmental dialogue between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Turkmenistan had been dictated by the original ties of friendship and fraternity between two nations as well as the profound co-operation potential to be employed in the mutual interests. Touching upon the NATO Summit the President said that as a state steadily implementing the status of neutrality delegated by the international community Turkmenistan intended confirming its readiness to place its peace loving potential at the service of peace, stability and global security.

Vice Premier T. Tagiev reported on the preliminary results of the national fuel and energy sector development in the first quarter of the current year. Reporting on opening the Exploration, Prospecting and Development of Gas Fields and Mineral Resources International Exhibition and Conference in Ashgabat the Vice Premier conveyed the invitation of the workers of the Turkmenbashi oil refineries to take part in the ceremonies of putting a primary oil refining unit into operation and opening the newly-constructed administrative building of the leading petrochemical enterprise to Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The Turkmen leader thanked for the invitation and said that he would take part in the event of remarkable importance for littoral oil and gas industry workers.

Touching upon the results of the national oil and gas industry development and stating the backlog of work by some important parameters the President demanded that the high-ranking officials should take the immediate measures to ensure implementation of the action plans on development of the basic sector of Turkmen economy.

Vice Premier M. Yazmuhammedova reported on the programme of the cultural events presented within the framework of the Turkmen leader’s official visit to the Republic of Turkey. The Vice Premier informed that the cultural workers of Turkmenistan had performed a series of the concerts in Istanbul including the final concert on the last day of President’s visit to the neighbouring country

Putting emphasis on the importance of the cultural action that had helped thousands of the people and guests of Istanbul to discover the national art of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov highly appreciated the work done. The Turkmen leader expressed gratitude to the participants of the gala concert, which had demonstrated the Turkmen artists’ mastery and talent and symbolized the indissoluble ties of friendship between two fraternal peoples. Continuing the conversation the Turkmen leader focused on the necessity of maintaining the national cultural traditions through establishing new artistic groups, involving youth in the creative activity, propagating the original spiritual sources of the nation. The President said that the art of independent Turkmenistan should be worthy represented on the world arena. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said cultural workers and artists of Turkmenistan would receive the overall support, go on concert tours to the foreign countries and participate in the prestigious international festivals and other large cultural forums.

Vice Premier H. Saparliev reported on the progress of the education reform, in particular the studies of the Turkmen specialists at the foreign institutions of higher education of Turkey. The Vice Premier focused on significance of the recent meeting of the Turkmen leader with the Turkmen students studying at the higher schools in the Republic of Turkey.

In this context Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan would consistently expand the practice of training Turkmen specialists at the largest research and educational centres worldwide taking account of the priorities of the national social and economic and cultural development. The President said that highly qualified specialists able to freely operate the complicated issues of world economy and market relations should be trained for Turkmenistan.

Then the participants of the sitting analyzed the progress of the social and economic development programmes and projects, in particular those guaranteeing comfortable houses to the population. In this regard the Turkmen leader pointed out the defects to the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Economy and Development, the Ministry of Economy and the Central Bank and instructed Vice Premier H. Saparliev to conduct a special seminar for the specialists of the departments responsible for implementing the Resolution.

Vice Premier G. Ashirov reported on the current situation in the sectors under his supervision. In particular, the Vice Premier reported on the progress of the North-South transport corridor project. G. Ashirov noted that the business circles worldwide showed keen interest in the transnational transport project willing to collaborate as well as to invest.

Focusing that the project on construction of the North-South trunk railway as well as other regional and interregional transport routes across the territory of Turkmenistan would offer a powerful incentive to develop national economy Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded that strict control should be taken of the issues related to transport infrastructure development and the existing resources should be implemented to accelerate the projects on creation of the transport network.

Vice Premier N. Shaguliev reported on the progress of the important construction projects implemented in Ashgabat and the regions. Commenting on the report Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov specified the priority tasks of developing urban planning and construction industry. The Turkmen leader said that those issues would be a focus of the next sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers put emphasis on the necessity of increasing the potential of this sector to play a crucial role in implementing the national development strategy and the welfare of the Turkmen people.

Demanding that strict control should be taken of the quality and observance of the period of construction the Turkmen leader focused on the construction projects implemented in collaboration with the foreign subcontractors. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that partners should be selected competitively, the companies and firms meeting the contractual obligations in full should operate in the Turkmen market.

The Turkmen leader put emphasis on the necessity of intensifying the activity of the Turkmen construction enterprises, which were to advance the large-scale construction programmes in the country and compete with foreign partners that was the main condition for bringing the sector up to a higher level.

Vice Premier H. Muhammedov reported on the current situation in the sectors under his supervision, in particular textile industry. The Vice Premier informed the Turkmen leader of the fulfillment of the instructions to strengthen labour and process discipline at and modernize the enterprises.

Commenting on the reports and informing that a sitting focused on the results of national development in the first quarter of the current year would be held in the nearest future Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded that the necessary measures should be taken to ensure achievement of the goals in all sectors of national economy. The Turkmen leader said that the progress of the important programmes and projects aimed at offering a powerful incentive to national economy adequate to its potential and the priorities of the national policy would be a focus of the serious conversation.

The other issues of the national policy were considered during the sitting.