TEHRAN – Turkmen Foreign Affairs Minister Rashid Meredov says his country seeks to expand and enhance energy and transport ties with Iran.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar in Tehran on business and trade between Iran and Turkmenistan, Meredov said that the two countries have been cooperating on water and electricity, as well as transport projects, and the cooperation will go on.

Mohammad-Taqi Amanpour, an advisor to the Iranian oil minister, said on the sidelines of the seminar that Iran is willing to establish sustainable economic ties with Turkmenistan and has prepared different plans to participate in infrastructure projects of that country.

The Iranian Oil Ministry will provide support to Iranian companies which establishes a factory in Turkmenistan and uses Iranian-made parts and raw materials, because it can help the two countries boost their industrial infrastructures, he added.

The 14th Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Economic Committee Meeting opened in Tehran on Saturday. 

Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi and Turkmen Foreign Affairs Minister Rashid Meredov will co-chair the three-day event. 

Turkmenistan was the 7th leading importer of Iranian non-oil goods in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2015, according to the Iran Customs Administration.     

Iran exported $973.65 million of non-oil goods to Turkmenistan and imported $113.72 million of non-oil goods from the country.   

In March, the two countries signed 17 cooperation documents in economic, cultural, political, legal, scientific, and technological fields. The two sides are determined to boost their bilateral trade to $60 billion by the next 10 years.  

In a meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkmen Vice-President Khajeh Mohammadov, which was held in Tehran on May 11, Rouhani announced Iran’s readiness to speed up the implementation of road building, technical and engineering, as well as energy projects.   

In Feb. 2014, Iranian Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mohammad-Reza Ne’matzadeh said Iran and Turkmenistan have the capacity to double their trade exchanges.   

He added that the two countries can raise the current $5-billion trade transaction to $10 billion.  

CAP: From right to left, Turkmen Foreign Affairs Minister Rashid Meredov, Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi, Iranian Railways Company Managing Director Mohsen Pourseyed-Aqae