On the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov the members of the Turkmen government delegation held a series of the talks with the government officials and senior managers of the leading sectors of Romanian economy.

The prospects of intensifying mutually advantageous co-operation to implement the Turkmen-Romanian top level agreements and in compliance with the priorities of social and economic development of Turkmenistan and Romania at the new historical stage were the focus of the talks.

The dialogue focused on the approaches to fostering traditional humanitarian co-operation, first of all in the spheres of education and science, in particular training professional highly qualified specialists. In this regard the sides put emphasis on the significance of the bilateral document – the 2008-2012 Programme of Cooperation between the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Enlightenment, Science and Youth of Romania. As is known the sides had agreed that ten Turkmen young people would study at the Oil and Gas University in Ploesti. On that day the decision to admit ten Turkmen students more to the Romanian institutions of higher education was taken. Moreover, with assistance of the Romanian partners the Department of the Romanian Language would be opened at D. Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages. The Romanian partners expressed the willingness to admit more students from Turkmenistan to the higher schools.

Partnership in health resort and tourism industries was specified as very promising. Putting emphasis on the significance of enhancing and expanding the cultural contacts the sides called for exchanging experience in managing museum activity in particular. For this purpose the members of the Turkmen government delegation visited the principal museums in Bucharest including the National Museum of Art in the framework of the visit to Romania.

The issues related to intensification of business constructive co-operation in the sphere of investments as well were discussed at the meeting at the Romanian Ministry of Economy and Finance. The sides exchanged views on the concrete steps towards developing co-operation in textile industry.

The prospects of establishing effective collaboration in the fuel and energy sector were the focus of the talks between the senior officials of the oil and gas departments. In particular, the sides considered the opportunities of collaborating in the particular energy projects in Turkmenistan for the Romanian companies. These included development of the offshore hydrocarbon deposits in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, construction of pipelines, modernization and construction of the facilities of chemical and oil and gas processing industries, procurement of modern equipment. In Ploesti the senior officials of the Turkmennebit State Concern and the Turkmengaz State Concern visited the enterprise of UPETROM-May 1 JSC –Romania’s largest oil and gas equipment producer.

The sides exchanged views on the opportunities of developing the fruitful contacts in agro-industrial sector. Turkmenistan was interested in the Romanian partners’ experience in applying advanced highly profitable agricultural technologies as well as processing agricultural products and water use. The important trends of mutually advantageous co-operation included nature-conservation activity and concerting efforts to ensure ecological security.

The talks and meetings testified to the reciprocal willingness to intensify mutually advantageous co-operation in the trade and economic sphere and other fields to implement effectively and in full the profound potential of collaboration in the bilateral format as well as in the framework of the European Union.