Turkmenistan’s policy pivoting on the national interests, devotion to the principles chosen once and forever and awesome responsibility for the commitments undertaken draw a positive response among the international political and business circles and open a wide road for establishing the fruitful and solid contacts in various fields. The official news reported last week, which was composed of the events forming a logical chain though each had its own geography and significance, testifies to it.

The increasing interest of the potential foreign partners in Turkmenistan is attributed to the profound resource potential of national economy, the dynamic pace of development, political stability, invariable adherence to the policy of positive neutrality standing as a crucial factor for maintaining global peace, security, tackling the problems of social development as well as the country’s new image on the world arena.

Emphasis is put on the progressive reforms initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and aimed at strengthening democracy, modernising national economy, ensuring the high living standards, the open door policy supported by the favorable investment climate and the national legislation complying with the norms of international law. In whole, it provides the real opportunities and opens up new vistas for developing an active dialogue with the international community, intensifying economic and cultural collaboration with the neighbours and the remotes countries.

In this regard the Turkmen-Turkish relations are significant. Based on the common historical roots and centuries-old spiritual traditions they are rapidly developed - nowadays evolving from the qualitatively new points of mutual attraction of interests. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s official visit to Ankara, which resulted in signing the Joint Communique and the documents aimed at developing fruitful political, trade and economic co-operation between the two countries, expanding contacts in the humanitarian sphere, in particular mass media, education and science, offered a powerful incentive to the process.

Besides the long-term close relations, profound experience accumulated in education, textile and construction industries, hotel business and trade Turkmenistan and Turkey have plenty of the untapped opportunities of mutually advantageous co-operation. Considering the most promising trends of further partnership the leaders focused on energy sector, the sphere of transport and communications and tourism. Touching upon co-operation in the fuel and energy sector Abdullah Gul emphasized that Turkey was very much interested in supplying natural gas, which Turkmenistan was rich in, to Europe and was ready to contribute to implementation of the relevant projects. The Turkish leader put forward the suggestion to implement a joint project in the sphere of transport – the Baku-Turkmenbashi train ferry.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov called for establishing the wide-branched transport infrastructure in the region including train ferries across the Caspian Sea. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov defined the Avaza National Project, which was of particular interest to the well-known Turkish companies as a field of concerting efforts.

The fact that having abundant hydrocarbon resources and the favourable geographical location and many other advantages Turkmenistan acquires more significance should be acknowledged. The Exploration, Prospecting and Development of Gas Fields and Mineral Resources International Exhibition and Conference, which brought together over 50 companies and enterprises from over 15 countries worldwide -America, Europe and Asia, in Ashgabat, vividly testified to it.

The intense interest the international business community shows in the Turkmen energy market should be analysed through the prism of the last week’s event.

These include signing the long-term intergovernmental agreements on co-operation in the gas sector, development of the gas transport links with Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, starting the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline project, active preparations for the Caspian gas pipeline project, full-scale development of offshore deposits in the Caspian Sea. These include the only discovery of new rich deposits - at least over the past ten years in the post-Soviet space, on the right bank of the Amu Darya River, in the area Southern Yoloten-Osman. These include conducting the international audit of the country’s oil and gas reserves that in particular evidences the country’s confidence of hydrocarbon reserves it declared. These include the new laws standing as a powerful incentive to attract foreign companies and investments, advanced technologies to national economy.

The effective steps to increase production capacities of the national fuel and energy sector Turkmenistan makes calling for diversifying international energy co-operation are a weighty argument. Figuratively speaking, foreign partners come not to an empty place, at their service - developed infrastructure. The National Oil and Gas Industry Development Programme stipulates for the large-scale measures including depth structure research, detection of oil and gas bearing areas and structures, preparation of the areas for deep-hole drilling which will ensure the considerable growth of oil and gas reserves.

The Government heavily invests in the fuel and energy sector. Up-to-date equipment is supplied to oil and gas industry workers, geologists and drill men, oil and gas production increased with the every passing year, new deposits are explored and hydrocarbon processing units are put into operation. Last week the project aimed at expanding capacity and ensuring the reliability of hydrocarbon processing was completed at the Turkmenbashi oil refineries

Speaking at the ceremonies of putting the primary oil refining units ELOU-AT-6 into operation and opening the newly-constructed administrative building of the country’s leading petrochemical enterprise President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the history of the firstling of national petrochemical industry, which as turned into the super modern industrial giant during the years of independence, vividly reflected the stages of establishing economy of the young Turkmen state.

The Turkmenbashi oil refineries play an important role in the national fuel an energy sector. First of all, it is related to the fulfillment of the strategic tasks such as satisfaction of the needs of national economy in a broad range of oil products, expansion of exports. To meet these needs the programme on modernisation and reconstruction of the leading petrochemical enterprise, which enabled to crate the flexible and reliable hydrocarbon processing system and manufacture high-quality products of great demand on world market was elaborated.

Speaking about the prospects of the Caspian region the President said that the programme on Balkan Velayat development specifying the priorities and future trends of development of the littoral areas, stipulating for development of the abundant resources of the region, the specific climatic conditions favouring resort and tourism infrastructure development, construction of chemical and construction enterprises and creation of new jobs would be elaborated. It means that the investment projects guaranteeing the welfare to the Turkmen people will be implemented.