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The past week was full of the ordinary important events, which reflected the progressive development of our country, its aspiration for new heights of progress. It was going under the sign of dynamical enhancement of the friendly interstate relations and architectural-construction premieres, which in run-up to the glorious 30th anniversary of Motherland’s independence were an apparent confirmation of successful realization of large-scale changes initiated by the President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov aimed at strengthening of the country’s economic power, growth of the people’s prosperity.
On August 23, in the course of his working trip to Mary velayat, the head of state signaled a startup to construction of new boreholes at the large gas deposit «Galkynyş» and attended the laying-foundation ceremony of the edifice in the «Türkmeniň ak öýi» complex intended for hosting mass festive events in the administrative center of the region.
In his congratulatory speech at the ceremony, which initiated realization of yet another large-scale infrastructure project, the leader of nation has noted that considerable investments into the fuel-energy complex are channeled to encourage further development of the cost-effective and high-yielding branch, widespread adoption of technical and technological innovations, intensification of exploration and drilling activities, commercial development of new oil/gas deposits.
Being a holder of the richest resources of natural gas, which today are guesstimated as 50 trillion cu m, our country consistently advances the idea on directing supplies of that valuable raw material to the energy markets of Europe and Asia. The large-scale investment projects implemented in that sphere promote enhancement of the productive international partnership.
Commercial commissioning of the world’s largest gas deposit «Galkynyş», the reserves of which together with the resources of «Ýaşlar» and «Garaköl» deposits are assessed as almost 27 trillion cu m, is an important step toward realization of Turkmenistan’s energy strategy, strengthening of the raw material base of the export-orientated gas pipelines, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov noted.
As of now, the operating well stock of the giant-deposit (over 4,000 sq m land area) includes 45 boreholes; daily discharge of each of the wells is two million cu m of natural gas.
Construction of the three new particularly-difficult gas boreholes is yet another confirmation of the successfully developing Turkmen-Chinese partnership. The contract for implementation of the within-named works the “Turkmengaz” State Concern made with the “CNPC” Chinese Company. The project implementation terms are 30 months; in compliance with the agreement signed in 2007 payment of the company’s services will be performed at the expense of the three-year supplies of the Turkmen natural gas to China.
Construction of new boreholes will create additional reserves of the ‘blue fuel’ and accordingly – will considerably contribute to the country’s foreign currency earnings and improve the well-being of the people.
At present, 40 BCM of gas is supplied to China. In compliance with the agreement signed, it is planned to supply 65 BCM of gas. In the future, the supplies of the Turkmen natural gas to China may reach 100 BCM.
That same day, in the town of Mary, the leader of nation Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov in association with the elders gave a symbolic startup to construction of the edifice intended for hosting mass festive events in the «Türkmeniň ak öýi» complex.
The head of state has also donated a new bus to «Türkmeniň ak öýi», got acquainted with the exhibition of the decorative-applied art, and attended the festive concert, the program of which was a vivid embodiment of the rich potential of national art, its age-old creative traditions and modern rhythms.
The fine and talented horse-riding and trick-riding skills, breathtaking acrobatic tricks were demonstrated in the virtuosic performance by the National Equestrian Games Group “Galkynysh” of the President of Turkmenistan Akhalteke Equestrian Complex – a holder of the prestige awards of international contests.
That day was also unforgettable for the personnel of the health system of Mary velayat, who were informed about the decision to allocate 10 modern “Ambulance” cars from the Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov Charitable Foundation for Rendering Assistance to the Children in Need of Tutelage, intended for the pediatric departments of the town and etrap hospitals.
Commissioning of the seven-story 188-apartment residential house, which was built in the Magtymguly Street by the individual enterprise “Ojar Aziya” – a member of the Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Union of Turkmenistan, was a remarkable gift to the citizens of Mary on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Motherland’s independence.
Happy new settlers have become the holders of the top-of-the-range apartments with every condition for comfortable living. The improved and landscaped neighborhoods have accommodated the concomitant infrastructure including children’s playgrounds and parking lots.
That same day, in the town of Bairamali, the commissioning ceremony was held of a new carpet-making workshop built to order of the Mary Artistic Carpet-Making Handicraft Enterprise of the “Turkmenhaly” State Association. The new object includes a dining room, recreation room, medical point, office rooms, conference-hall, storehouse for keeping raw materials and final products; there is also a museum of carpets under the enterprise.
On August 24, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov received the newly-appointed UN Permanent Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko.
The meeting was a constructive exchange of opinions in a broad range of issues on the current state, major directions, and prospects for further intensification of the effective dialogue based on the principles of trust and mutual respect.
In this regard, the sides evinced interest in the new joint projects aimed at successful realization of the country’s socioeconomic development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, which Turkmenistan (taking the leading positions in the Central Asian region) one of the first has adapted them at the national level.
The guideline of activity in that sphere was the Framework Program for 2021-2025 in the sphere of sustainable development, which was signed in March 2020 between the Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Organization.
Welcoming the by-now ever-growing dynamics of bilateral cooperation, Dmitry Shlapachenko rated high the topicality of Turkmenistan’s international initiatives in the energy, transport, and other spheres.
On August 25, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov made a working trip to Akhal velayat to take part in commissioning of a new 1,300-job textile complex in Kaahka etrap.
The projected annual capacity of the new complex of textile industry (US $147,850 thousand total cost) is 3,650 tons of high-quality yarn, 12 million sq m of various fabrics, and 1,200 thousand of final apparel products.
The textile complex is equipped with the top-of-the-range machinery of the leading manufacturers from Switzerland, Japan, Belgium, Italy, and Germany. The ecology-pure high-quality yarn, dyed and undyed cotton fabrics, final apparel items at moderate prices intended for import-substitution will enable to raise export potential of the branch at the expense of selling abroad of surplus of products with the trademark “Made in Turkmenistan”.
Moreover, at present, construction of yet another textile complex (US $151,800 thousand total cost) is nearing completion in Babadaikhan etrap, Akhal velayat. Its annual capacity is 3,300 tons of fine-fiber yarn, 20 million sq m of different fabrics, 3,500 thousand of the final apparel items, the leader of nation noted.
Launching of the textile complex is an opportunity to process the locally-grown raw cotton. This, in turn, will reduce transportation costs and increase incomes. Thus, the etrap will turn into the industrial region with advanced economic potential.
At the wheel of the electro-car, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov made a round of the workshops of the new 18-hectare enterprise to get acquainted with the equipment and facilities, technological processes of the spinning, weaving, and clothing factories, and dyeing department.
Taking into consideration the fact that major part of the personnel are the girls and women, the leader of nation has stressed the advisability of creating at the enterprise of a primary women’s organization, which will be concentrated on the issues related to labor and recreation conditions, organization of cultural measures.
Besides, the head of state has necessitated paying particular attention to active participation of staffers of the enterprise in the cultural-mass festive measures dedicated to the holidays and remarkable dates, to the development at the modern level of the age-old craft created by the talent of Turkmen women.
President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov made an entry in the Distinguished Guests Book and donated to the enterprise 19 new buses, a motor car, and 2 trucks.
That same day, the head of state had a meeting with the workers of health sphere of Akhal velayat. In the course of the meeting, the head of state has informed about the decision to allocate 10 new modern “Ambulance” cars from the Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov Charitable Foundation for Rendering Assistance to the Children in Need of Tutelage intended for the pediatric departments of the town and etrap hospitals of Akhal velayat.
On August 25, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov held an enlarged session of the Cabinet of Ministers to give consideration to the outcomes of activity of the Extraordinary Commission of Turkmenistan for Controlling Spread of Diseases and to the future-orientated tasks of primary importance. The session was attended by members of the Government, State Security Council, heads of ministries and departments, khyakims of the city of Ashgabat and velayats, representatives the media community.
The leader of nation has signed a number of the top-ranking personnel demotion-and-promotion documents.
The head of state has outlined the tasks of primary importance on prevention of coronavirus spread in our country, notably it refers to the by-now restriction of conducting mass measures, improvement of transport services rendered to the population, strengthening of control over observance of the sanitaria and over observance of the rules established by the Extraordinary Commission of Turkmenistan for Controlling Spread of Diseases.
Not the least important is to properly organize the coronavirus prevention measures in all organizations and enterprises irrespective of the form of ownership, to strictly observe the rules of sanitaria and epidemiology, the leader of nation has highlighted.
Special presidential assignments were aimed at studying the international experience, conducting of the analysis of core laws, and preparation of the proposals on introducing into them of the relevant amendments and addendums.
In view of the upcoming autumn-winter period, to avoid the spread of the seasonal acute respiratory diseases (ARD), the head of state issued an Order on countrywide putting in order the heating systems and facilities to ensure favorable temperature at workplaces and in residential houses.
On August 26, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shah Mahmud Kureshi,.
In the course of meeting, consideration was given to the priority aspects of the Turkmen-Pakistani partnership, particularly in the sphere of energy, transport-communication, in a number of other branches. The importance was stressed stressed of realization of joint infrastructure projects, such as construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India transnational gas pipeline (TAPI), and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power transmission and optic-fiber communication lines.
While exchanging opinions on the key issues of the regional and global agenda, the sides expressed themselves in favor of strengthening the established constructive interaction in the format of the reputable international organizations, including the UN, ECO, ICO, and others.
Consideration was also given to the Afghan problematics. In this context it was stressed that our country is invariably committed to handling the situation in Afghanistan through exclusively peaceful, political-diplomatic instrumentalities and methods.
The priorities of the state policy and drafts of a number of documents were in the center of the agenda of regular session of the Cabinet of Ministers, which President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov held on August 27 in the online format.
The agenda of session incorporated also the reports on: the preparedness rate to celebrating the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence; commissioning of the objects of social and cultural purpose in September of the running year; celebrating of Knowledge and Student Youth Day; conducting of works on bettering and revamping of the capital and modernization of its energy systems; observance of the established order and sanitary requirements; reconstruction of roads of the country; preparation to commissioning of the gas-turbine power plant in Charjev etrap, Lebap velayat.
Having got acquainted with the construction rates of the 59 residential houses (four-story, 32-apartment) and 170 cottages along the road leading to the International airport of Turkmenabat, Lebap velayat, the head of Turkmenistan has noted the necessity of exercising permanent control over construction rates of the within-named objects to ensure their commissioning in due time, as well as over timely implementation of the plans on further development of regions and the main city of the country.
At the session of the Government, consideration was also given to the state of affairs in certain sectors of the oil/gas sector and to the work carried out by the State Concern “Turkmengaz” on implementation of the projects in the natural gas processing industry. In this context, the report was heard about the ongoing negotiations with the “Haldor Topsoe” Danish Company on construction in our country of a small gas-chemical enterprise for manufacturing of the ammonia and methanol from the natural gas.
Having stressed that in the years ahead Turkmenistan intends to lay special emphasis on creation of industries on the basis of high-performance technologies, the leader of nation expressed himself in favor of further adoption of the world’s best experience in that sector.
Preparations to the winter wheat-seeding campaign (to produce heavy yield in the next year) were yet another important issue of the session agenda.
To produce heavy yields of grain, not the least significant for the grain growers and all toilers of agriculture is to conduct the upcoming wheat-seeding campaign at a high organizational level and in proper time, the head of state noted and gave his blessing to start the campaign in velayats on September 3.
Approval of the procedure of presenting transponders of space craft for determining of the legal, organizational and economic principles of the space activity and regulation of relations in that sphere was yet another subject of the Cabinet session’s agenda.
In this regard, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has highlighted that diversification of the economy and industry on the basis of high-performance technologies and other promising development-favored spheres, including, certainly, space communication – are the Turkmenistan’s present-day realities and a precise reference point for the future. The chief head of the Transport and Communications Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers was exhorted to elaborate the issue and undertake the relevant concrete steps.
At the session, the head of Turkmenistan has signed a number of documents, notably – the Resolution on financial backing of the projects of small and medium-sized businesses engaged in manufacturing of the program produce and equipment, in purchasing and commissioning of production facilities; the Order on Turkmenistan’s membership in the Trade Financing Islamic Corporation of the Islamic Development Bank; and the Resolution “On establishing of the open joint-stock company “Turkmendokma”.
On August 29, a telephone talk was held between President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and the European Union Chairman Charles Michel. The interlocutors have discussed the priority aspects of cooperation, including the ones related to safeguarding peace and security in the region of Central Asia and certain zones.
The leader of nation has noted that with great attention he got acquainted with the appraisals of Mr. Charles Michel of the current situation in Afghanistan and with the European side’s vision of further multi-faceted interaction in the Afghan direction. In this regard, the head of state has fixated attention on the three major principles the by-now position of Turkmenistan on the current events development in the neighboring country is based on.
First, in the political aspect, Turkmenistan stands for handling the situation in Afghanistan through exclusively peaceful, political-diplomatic instrumentalities and methods.
Second, in the economic aspect it is necessary to further advance the issues related to realization of large-scale infrastructure projects, notably – construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India transnational gas pipeline (TAPI), the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power transmission and optic-fiber communication lines, and the railways connecting Afghanistan with Turkmenistan.
Third, not the least significant is to render constant humanitarian support to Afghanistan to promote the current peace-making processes in the country.
Being a good neighbor of Afghanistan and as the state with the UN-recognized status of permanent neutrality, Turkmenistan, in tune with the principles and standards of the international community, is ready to continue its activity aimed at rendering of the all-round support to the Afghan people in strengthening peace, civic accord and stability in the country, economic and humanitarian development of Afghanistan, the leader of nation stated.
In this context, it would have been advisable to intensify the activity of the United Nations Organization, OSCE, and the European Union in the issue of rendering all-round assistance to Afghanistan.
As for the practical activity carried out by Turkmenistan in the by-now complicated situation in Afghanistan, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has placed accent on the uninterrupted energy supplies to the neighboring country in the frames of the by-now effective contracts.
Besides, particular emphasis was placed on the trouble-free functioning of the checkpoints in the Turkmen-Afghan Bored.
Given the present complicated situation induced by the global pandemic, to protect health of the two countries’ peoples, the state bodies of Turkmenistan are in constant contacts with representatives of the “Taliban” movement in the issues of safeguarding the State Border, exercising of the customs, phyto-sanitary and other types of control and supervision over the cargoes transported via the border. The list of the cargoes transported via the State Border includes oil products, liquefied gas, grain, convenience goods.
Touching upon the issues of the impact the situation in Afghanistan has on the general situation in Central Asia, the leader of nation has stressed that Turkmenistan is located in the inconvenient region from the geopolitical point of view. However, throughout the years of our country’s independence, our neutral status enabled the country to steer the course toward steady political dialogue in the region.
President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has expressed confidence that further development of events will, undoubtedly, depend on the level of interaction of Afghan new authorities with the countries of Central Asia and other states.
As a permanent member of the Executive Committee of the Program of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Turkmenistan may boast of its great experience in settling the complicated humanitarian situations of the kind and never stood aside of those processes.
It was also stressed, that Turkmenistan presents its airspace to promote the dovetailed evacuation from of Afghanistan of the citizens of a number of countries, including the European states. Beginning from August 15 of the running year until now, our country gave scores of admissions to the aircrafts for using our airspace for evacuating citizens from Afghanistan; and this work will be continued in the future.
In turn, Mr. Charles Michel has highlighted the importance and topicality of the international initiatives forwarded by the head of Turkmenistan aimed at ensuring universal security, stability and creation of conditions for sustainable development in Central Asia. The high-ranking guest has also stated that the European Union supports the progressive foreign-policy course and creative initiatives of President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov.
Grateful to the European Union Chairman for the trust-based and constructive dialogue on the issues of global importance, the leader of nation has avowed Turkmenistan’s readiness to integrate efforts to promote further peaceful and sustainable development of the region. The leader of nation has also extended invitation to the European Union Chairman Charles Michel to take part in the festive measures on the occasion of Neutrality Day. The head of the European Union has accepted the invitation with thanks.
Thus, the past eventful week was a vivid reflection of the country’s progressive innovatory development, high level of social backing of the population, enhancement of the country’s global name recognition, and success of the President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov’s foreign-policy initiatives.
