Turkmenistan president, St Petersburg governor to meet in Ashgabat

ASHGABAT, July 11 (Itar-Tass) -- Turkmen President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow will have negotiations with visiting St. Petersburg
Governor Valentina Matviyenko here on Monday. The governor of the Russian
northern capital arrived in Ashgabat on Sunday evening. This is already
the third visit, which an authoritative delegation from St. Petersburg
headed by Governor Valentina Matviyenko makes to Turkmenistan. The first
visit was paid in 2004, when the Russian northern capital was the first
Russian region to sign an agreement on economic, scientific-technical and
cultural cooperation with Turkmenistan. Matviyenko's ongoing visit to the
country will last three days.
"The development of economic, business and humanitarian contacts with
Russian regions, industrial and cultural centers of the country is among
the top priorities in Turkmenistan's foreign policy," the press service of
the Turkmen government reported.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Valentina Matviyenko will have
eye-on-eye negotiations at first followed by the talks involving the
delegations. The sides are expected to discuss a broad range of issues in
bilateral cooperation, the fulfillment of the earlier reached agreements
and joint projects and to share views on the prospects of cooperation. The
sides are developing economic relations in the projects, which were
implemented in the electric power industry, the supplies of high-tech
equipment and in the construction of transport infrastructure. Such major
St. Petersburg companies as Power Machines, Yarovit Energo, Vozrozhdeniye
(Revival) and others were involved in the joint projects.
Several bilateral documents are expected to be signed, the press
service of the Turkmen government reported.
On the cultural agenda of Valentina Matviyenko's visit are the
Turkmenbashi Spirituality Mosque and the Mausoleum of the first late
Turkmen president, Saparmurat Niyazov, as well as the Main Turkmen
National Museum.
On Tuesday, the St. Petersburg governor will visit the city of
Turkmenbashi and the Turkmen tourist zone Avaza on the Caspian coast.
Valentina Matviyenko and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow will attend a
ceremony to commission a motor bridge, which the St. Petersburg company
Vozrozhdeniye had built. During a visit to St. Petersburg in March 2009
Berdimuhamedow approved several projects, which the St. Petersburg holding
had developed especially for Turkmenistan. During the same visit an air
traffic bridge was launched to connect Ashgabat and St. Petersburg that
boosted bilateral trade and economic relations.
At a meeting on the Caspian coast Turkmenistan and the Vozrozhdeniye
Company are expected to sign several contracts to develop the
infrastructure of Turkmen cities.