Lukashenko firmly resolved to restore trade relations with Turkmenistan

Belorussian-Turkmen trade must be restored, Belorussian President Alexander Lukashenko said during a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat on Dec 9.

According to him, over the last months, trade turnover between the two countries has declined. “So, we are firmly resolved to restore our trade-economic ties,” he said.

He said that Belarus was ready to cooperate with Turkmenistan in many sectors.

“Turkmenistan is our strategic partner in Central Asia. We actively cooperate on both bilateral and international levels. In recent times we have made significant achievements and must not stop at this,” Lukashenko said.

The biggest Belorussian venture in Turkmenistan is the $1bn project to build a mining and processing factory in Garlyk by 2017.

Contacts with Turkmenistan have always been a priority for Lukashenko. In Oct 2015, he sent Berdymukhamedov a message saying that Belarus is glad to see Turkmenistan’s achievements and fully supports its initiatives to strengthen international security.

Lukashenko has even bought the personal plane of the first President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov (Tukrmenbashi).