Events

MINSK, 23 July (BelTA) – Vice Prime Minister of Belarus Anatoly Kalinin is expected to inspect the progress of building a multifunctional center for servicing Belarusian machines in Ashgabat. The visit of the Belarusian government delegation to Ashgabat began on 23 July, representatives of the Embassy of Belarus in Turkmenistan told BelTA.

The Belarusian delegation is led by Anatoly Kalinin and includes Architecture and Construction Minister Anatoly Chernyi, his deputy Sergei Lastochkin, and Director General of OAO Belaruskali Valery Kiriyenko. While in Turkmenistan members of the delegation are expected to meet with recently appointed Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Batyr Ereshov. A joint visit to the construction site of the Garlyk mining and processing factory has been planned. The factory is designed to make potash fertilizers in Lebap Oblast.

Apart from that, the Vice Prime Minister of Belarus is expected to hold negotiations with Vice Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Satlyk Satlykov. The sides will discuss the progress of building the potash factory and the bolstering of mutual trade volumes.

It is not the first time that Anatoly Kalinin will visit Turkmenistan. In 2013-2014 he made five working visits to the country. In particular, in October 2013 he took part in a regular session of the Belarusian-Turkmen commission for trade and economic cooperation. Anatoly Kalinin and Batyr Ereshov are co-chairmen of the Belarusian and Turkmen parts of the commission respectively.

Turkmenistan is the most important partner of Belarus in Central Asia. The bilateral interaction is focused on mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation. In 2013 Belarus-Turkmenistan trade totaled $319.9 million, nearly 135% as against 2012, with Belarus’ export at $316.1 million (over 136%) and import at $3.8 million (over 60%).

The implementation of the contract for the turn-key construction of the mining and processing factory by Belarusian specialists is the most important Belarusian-Turkmen joint project. The factory will make 1.4 million tonnes of potash fertilizers per annum using the Garlyk deposit of potash salts. The Belarusian-Turkmen intergovernmental commission for trade and economic cooperation plays an important role in raising the bilateral trade turnover. The commission represents an effective mechanism for bolstering and diversifying mutually beneficial trade ties.