President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met Monday, 26 September the governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov.
“Russia and St. Petersburg is connected with Turkmenistan both by ties of friendship and joint historical path of the two great countries. We are aware of the enormous political and economic importance of relations with Turkmenistan and consider their development one of the priorities of foreign economic and international activities,” the governor said during the meeting.
The parties discussed concrete steps to implement the agreements outlined in the Roadmap of cooperation in trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian fields for 2020-2025.
Energy, transport and communications, construction, road transport infrastructure and shipbuilding, investment and digitalization were named among the key areas of partnership. A number of perspectives arise for partnership in the construction of “smart” cities.
Beglov said that St. Petersburg is interested in improving the level and quality of cooperation with Turkmenistan. In 2021, the trade turnover between northern capital of Russia and Turkmenistan grew by 41.6%.
Discussing the opening of the St. Petersburg trading house to Turkmenistan, he also expressed readiness to organize work Petersburg retail chains to promote Turkmen products.
According to the head of the city, Petersburg is interested in importing agricultural products from Turkmenistan. Petersburg, in turn, is ready to supply medicines, electronics and microelectronics products, food and confectionery products to the Turkmen market.
During the meeting, issues of Turkmen-Russian cooperation in the development of the North-South transport corridor were also touched upon.
A trilateral agreement on the development of the corridor was signed by Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The project provides for the construction of a highway segment in Turkmenistan and will almost halve the delivery time of goods from the Asia-Pacific region to Europe, which will positively affect the economies of the three countries by increasing trade turnover and transit of goods.
The governor also recalled that the St. Petersburg company Vozrozhdenie has been operating in Turkmenistan for more than 10 years.
From 2009 to 2021, the company implemented a number of projects. They include the construction of a complex of anti-mudflow structures in the southern part of Ashgabat, 17 interchanges of the East-West transport corridor, reconstruction of Archabil Avenue and overpasses, as well as the ring road in Ashgabat.
St. Petersburg is ready to develop multifaceted cooperation with Turkmenistan
St. Petersburg is interested in developing economic and humanitarian cooperation with Turkmenistan, Governor Alexander Beglov said this during a meeting with Deputy Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, foreign minister Rashid Meredov.
The meeting was held in Ashgabat as part of the events dedicated to the Independence Day of Turkmenistan. Alexander Beglov and Rashid Meredov discussed prospects for cooperation in the trade, economic and humanitarian spheres.
In 2021, the exports from St. Petersburg to Turkmenistan increased by 49.7%.
“It is necessary to support this trend. Petersburg is interested in developing trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation with Turkmenistan in many areas, including energy, education, and infrastructure modernization,” Alexander Beglov stressed.
The readiness to consider opportunities for increasing the mutual trade in food, agricultural, engineering, textile and other products, including through the wide involvement of private sector was voiced. In this context, the parties considered the possibility of opening a trading house of St. Petersburg in Ashgabat.
The governor highlighted shipbuilding, noting that St. Petersburg and Turkmenistan have all the opportunities and resources for effective and fruitful cooperation in this area.
He also stressed that St. Petersburg remains one of the world’s main centers for the study of Turkmen culture outside Turkmenistan. The Russian Ethnographic Museum houses one of the largest collections on the culture of Turkmenistan. Its history goes back to 1900.
Taking into account the resumption of direct flights between Ashgabat and Moscow, the governor expressed readiness to consider the possibility of intensifying cultural exchanges, organizing new museum exhibitions, as well as exchanging tours of theater and concert groups.
Beglov proposed to establish direct contacts between educational institutions of Turkmenistan and St. Petersburg through educational and humanitarian cooperation.
In the current academic year, 1,756 students from Turkmenistan are studying at St. Petersburg universities. “It is important that the Turkmen youth living in St. Petersburg do not forget their national traditions. Turkmen students actively participate in the life of universities, regularly take part in cultural events,” Alexander Beglov said.
During the meeting, the parties agreed to increase the quota of Turkmen students who want to get an education in St. Petersburg in such areas as shipbuilding, road equipment, construction, and a number of other areas
Petersburg and Turkmenistan cooperate in preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War and supporting veterans. It is planned to build a monument “Friendship” in Ashgabat, which will be dedicated to the residents of besieged Leningrad evacuated to Turkmenistan.
In September, representatives of the Committee on External Relations of St. Petersburg laid flowers at the monument to the heroes during the Great Patriotic War in the village of Marfino, Novgorod region, where the Red Army soldier Mered Kurbanov, Rashid Meredov’s grandfather, is buried.
The project of construction a monument to Makhtumkuli poet in St. Petersburg is underway. It was initiated by the Society of Turkmen Culture in Petersburg “Mekan”.
At the end of the meeting, Beglov thanked Rashid Meredov for the warm welcome and expressed confidence that this visit will contribute to the further development of cooperation between St. Petersburg and Turkmenistan. ///nCa, 27 September 2022