“Whatever trends we observe in the world require us to understand them correctly to act appropriately, create effective mechanisms of cooperation and strengthen regional ties,” Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov stated at the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum.

According to Meredov, the development of the real global economy continues, and it is determined by four fundamental components: energy, industry, transport and trade.

“As a producer of energy resources, Turkmenistan has for many years been establishing reliable and effective routes for natural gas supply. Since 2005, the Turkmenistan gas pipeline has been operating quite effectively. Regarding the reconfiguration of energy resource flows, in the context of the Silk Road, Turkmenistan consistently emphasises the importance of developing towards the West, particularly the creation of a stable energy corridor heading towards the South Caucasus and the European route.

We are prepared to continue and deepen our dialogue on energy matters with our partners and neighbours. It goes without saying that this project benefits not only the direct participants but also plays a vital role in ensuring genuine energy security across the entire Eurasian region,” Meredov stated.

According to him, developing the transport corridor along the East-West route is equally important.

“Implementation of the project aims to create new opportunities for participating parties and countries in the region, so they have access to global markets and trade becomes more intensive, with active economic ties established. An even more pressing issue is the creation of the Middle Trans-Caspian Corridor. Turkmenistan played a leading role in ensuring this process was carried out with a more systematic approach. As a result of negotiations held in Bucharest in March 2019, in which Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania participated, a memorandum was signed, and we note that this document now requires practical and concrete actions,” Rashid Meredov stated.

According to Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister, Georgia plays a vital role in energy and transport matters.

“Today, this country is not merely a significant transport location; Georgia’s role is far greater and more important. For Turkmenistan, Georgia is a location distinguished by strategic infrastructure and is also a hub of international significance. It is a country of Black Sea transcontinental trade and economic cooperation.

Today’s agenda already goes beyond merely strengthening interstate partnerships and regional cooperation. Currently, our task is to develop a fundamentally new framework to establish relations between East and West in a new way. Here, cooperation with Caspian Sea countries will be the principal driving force for developing the economy, trade and logistics. To this end, Turkmenistan is prepared to collaborate with its partners to streamline tariff and customs procedures. We hope that this forum will truly create a foundation for progress and the implementation of upcoming plans and projects,” Meredov stated.