The Turkish Embassy in Turkmenistan hosted on Wednesday the press conference for local journalists. The meeting mainly focused on the implementation of media agreements reached between Turkmenistan and Turkey signed on the sidelines of the Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Ashgabat in November 2021.
Turkish Ambassador to Turkmenistan Togan Oral highlighted the growth of local media, quality of content and abundance of information.
During the event, Togan Oral introduced Ambassador's advisor on media Hayrettin Bektaş, who was appointed with the aim of closer cooperation between the local media and Turkey.
Ambassador Oral said the trade-economic and political relations between the two countries continued its expansion in 2021 despite the pandemic.He outlined the presidential and ministerial visits among the main events of the past year.
The Ambassador also briefed on the upcoming Turkmen-Turkish meeting on economic cooperation and the trilateral summit of Azerbaijan-Turkey-Turkmenistan, which are scheduled to take place this year in Ashgabat.
Highlights of Turkmen-Turkish economic ties
Focusing on trade-economic relations, Ambassador Oral said Turkmen exports to Turkey increased by 50%, or $49 million, in the first 11 months of 2021. At the same time, Turkey's exports to Turkmenistan increased by 27.2% and the total trade turnover between the two countries exceeded $1.9 billion.
Togan Oral also highlighted the special importance of the trilateral gas swap deal between Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan and the Memorandum of Understanding between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on joint development of Dostluk hydrocarbon field in the Caspian Sea signed in 2021.
He said the agreements will encourage Turkmenistan to diversify natural gas exports, adding that gas from the Dostluk field can be exported to European countries via Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP).
During the press conference, the Turkish diplomat also briefed about the Turkey Scholarships program intended for international higher education students.
Turkey is the first country to recognize Turkmenistan’s independence and to open its Embassy in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan and Turkey established diplomatic relation on February 29, 1992.