Envoy calls for further private sector investment in C. Asia
Making the remarks in a gathering of traders who had participated in Iran's economic exhibition in Turkmenistan, Ansari said that Turkmenistan is the gateway to the lucrative markets of Central Asia.
"According to the current conditions prevailing in market and the presence of foreign competitors, micro-trade is not lucrative," he said, calling for economic officials and traders to move towards industrial trade and export of technical services.
Ansari demanded further presence of Iranian companies in Turkmenistan and Central Asia through establishment of big consortia.
Referring to the friendly ties between Tehran and Ashgabat and the positive attitudes of Turkmen officials towards foreign trade, he underlined that grounds are prepared for investment and economic activities.
"The Turkmen have a positive view towards the economic activities of Iranians," he said, adding that the private sector should use this opportunity to enter the lucrative markets in this Central Asian Muslim nation.
He announced that the Iranian Embassy in Turkmenistan is ready to cooperate with the private sector for its greater presence on Turkmen markets.
Meanwhile, Iranian traders residing in Turkmenistan called for greater economic transactions between the two countries which exceeded one billion dollars in 2005.
Referring to the implementation of joint economic projects, 80 Iranian companies participating in the four-day exhibition stressed the need for expansion of commercial ties between the two Muslim nations.
They expressed readiness to transfer their experience to Turkmen businessmen in an effort to help develop mutual trade ties. ------------Iran, Turkmenistan finalize funding talks for dam construction project
Through the agreement signed between Iran and Turkmenistan's ministerial officials the required fund for construction of the "Friendship (Doosti) Dam" was finalized, ISNA reported.
The Friendship dam which is to be built on the Harir River, is expected to preserve and store local water supplies which are usually available in only five months of the year. This is Iran's second shared dam project which is constructed on a border river
The Iranian-Turkmen dam, on Sarakhs border, is scheduled to come into operation in October 2004, a year ahead of plan. The Friendship Dam will have a storage capacity of 1.25 billion cubic meters, enough to irrigate 25,000 hectares of land. Both Iran and Turkmenistan will benefit from this storage facility. The pace of work on the project has recently picked up tremendous speed with introduction of Belarusian technology that enables shifting of 12,000-15,000 cubic meters of earth and rock per day.
The dam that straddles Turkmen-Iran border will be 78 meters high, 450 meters wide and 630 meters long.