Business news

MINSK, 10 May (BelTA) – Belarus may be involved in the construction of the second potash mining factory in Turkmenistan, BelTA learned from Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Anatoly Kalinin during the session of the Belarusian-Turkmen commission on economic cooperation on 10 May.

The deputy prime minister reminded that the Garlyk mining and processing factory was commissioned in Turkmenistan a short while ago. “It was one of the largest projects Belarus has implemented abroad in this field. Belarus has honored its commitments regarding the commissioning of the factory. We are now waiting for the final transactions in order to pay subcontractors and suppliers of materials,” said Anatoly Kalinin. He remarked that Belarus will continue assisting with the project to train specialists for the Garlyk mining and processing factory. “We have also started discussing Belarus’ possible participation in the construction of the second potash mining factory based on the Karabil deposit,” he said.

The deputy prime minister underlined that the potential of Belarus-Turkmenistan cooperation is far from being exhausted and cannot be limited only to one or two major projects. “It is necessary to use the accumulated cooperation experience to increase mutual trade across the board. We also see brand new prospects for interaction in oil and gas industry, in light industry, in road construction, in sales of diesel trains to Turkmenistan as well as Belarusian software,” he said.

The deputy prime minister pointed out that Belarus is concerned about a slight decrease in the export of tires, trucks, agricultural machines, and passenger vehicles to Turkmenistan. “We suggest joining forces to work out acceptable mechanisms for selling ready-made products. With this in mind a working group has been created in the Belarusian part of the commission. It includes representatives of our leading ministries and government agencies. We also suggest more actively tapping into the potential of direct interaction between the business structures of our countries. We expect it to help increase the number of commercial entities, which are involved in mutual trade,” he said.

Anatoly Kalinin pointed out that the legal base for cooperation between Belarus and Turkmenistan is expanding. During a recent visit of the Belarus president to Turkmenistan eleven bilateral agreements were signed to expand cooperation in education, culture, and tourism. In 2016 Belarus-Turkmenistan trade increased by 30% from 2015 to about $300 million.

Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Dadebai Amangeldiev underlined that Turkmenistan sees prospects for cooperation with Belarus in various fields. “The main priorities include cooperation in oil and gas industry, in science and technologies, healthcare, education, physical training and sport, and the expansion of humanitarian ties,” he said.

The eighth session of the Belarusian-Turkmen intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation is scheduled to take place in Minsk on 10-12 May. Members of the Turkmen delegation are expected to also visit the train factory Stadler Minsk, the Minsk city mass transit system operator Minsktrans, the state enterprise National Center for Electronic Services, and the state corporation Belarusian Railways.