The meeting of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with representatives of the business circles of the Republic of Korea took place today. The issues related to the current state and promising areas of bilateral cooperation became the subject of an interested discussion.

Welcoming the guests and noting that he was glad to receive them in white marble Ashgabat, Hero-Arkadag expressed confidence that the current visit of Korean businessmen would be an important stage in the development of an established mutually beneficial partnership, and wished success in implementing new initiatives to expand traditional ties.

In this context, Chairman Halk Maslahaty emphasized that in the era of the Revival of a new era of a powerful state in our Motherland, large-scale industrialization works are being carried out on the basis of the National Program of Socio-Economic Development of Turkmenistan in 2022-2052 and the "Program of the President of Turkmenistan for socio-economic Development of the country in 2022-2028". This opens up new areas of cooperation with Korean partners.

Expressing sincere gratitude for the hospitality and the opportunity to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd Hong Hyong Song conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and from the head of the Turkmen-Korean Friendship Group from the Korean side to the Hero-Arkadag.

Thanking for the kind words, the National Leader of the Turkmen people noted that he warmly recalls the visit to the Republic of Korea in November 2022 and the meetings held within its framework. Thus, at a meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, issues related to the further development of the traditionally friendly interstate dialogue were discussed.

As the Hero-Arkadag emphasized, visits, negotiations and meetings at the highest, intergovernmental and interdepartmental levels give a powerful impetus to the entire range of bilateral cooperation.

It should also be noted that Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea are constructively cooperating on multilateral platforms. By demonstrating the proximity or convergence of positions on key aspects of the regional and global agenda, our countries support each other's initiatives put forward within the framework of the United Nations and other reputable international structures. Interstate cooperation in the Central Asia–Republic of Korea format is also effective.

And of course, cooperation in the humanitarian sphere is an integral part of Turkmen-Korean relations, where regular contacts have been established in the field of education, science and culture. Important aspects here are the organization of various joint creative actions in both countries, the implementation of educational programs, and the stimulation of ties between scientific centers. Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea have a unique heritage of spiritual and material culture, and deepening cooperation in this area contributes to the rapprochement of our peoples and strengthening the bonds of friendship between them. Great importance is also attached to cooperation in the field of health, sports and tourism.

Thus, representatives of the Republic of Korea became participants in the International Conference "Main directions and potential of tourism development in Turkmenistan" held in our country. As for healthcare, agreements have been reached on cooperation between institutions in this field, and bilateral documents have been signed.

Interstate relations are consistently developing on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, mutual understanding and trust. Cooperation is actively carried out in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. At the same time, an important role is assigned to parliamentary diplomacy, strengthening ties between legislative bodies. Here, great importance is attached to the activities of the Interparliamentary Friendship Group "Turkmenistan–Republic of Korea".

Speaking about this, Hero-Arkadak also praised the fruitful partnership with leading Korean companies that have been working productively in the petrochemical, gas processing, motor transport and other sectors of the Turkmen economy for many years. Currently, a significant part of Turkmenistan's public transport fleet consists of Korean-made cars.

Noting that Turkmenistan, which has gained a reputation as a reliable business partner in the world, has formed a solid base for the effective operation of foreign companies and the implementation of joint investment projects, representatives of the business community of the Republic of Korea stressed that cooperation with our country, which is on the path of sustainable development and has strong economic potential, is a great honor for them.

Hero-Arkadag noted with satisfaction that, with the participation of Korean partners, the construction of a gas desulfurization plant at the Galkynyş field, one of the largest natural storehouses of "blue fuel" on the planet, installations for the production of high–octane gasoline at the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries and a gas chemical complex for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene in the Balkan Velayat, was successfully carried out. Today, bilateral business contacts have reached a qualitatively new level.

Noting that Turkmenistan occupies one of the leading places in the world in terms of natural gas reserves, the National Leader of the Turkmen people drew attention to the opportunities for expanding cooperation in the development of the Galkynyş gas field, as well as to intensify the construction of the TAPI international gas pipeline. In this regard, the Hero-Arkadag voiced proposals regarding joint work on the development of the fourth stage of the Galkynyş field and the construction of a training center for teaching Korean language to young people in our country.

Stressing that Turkmenistan, which has enormous hydrocarbon potential, demonstrates impressive achievements in the fuel and energy sector and creates favorable conditions for increasing international cooperation in this area, the guests noted that companies of the Republic of Korea show great interest in participating in the implementation of progressive transformations launched in our country.

Continuing the topic, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed the existence of many years of experience in Turkmen-Korean business cooperation and new prospects for the development of long-term partnership, taking into account big plans related to the extraction and processing of "blue fuel". In this context, the use of innovative developments and high technologies is an important requirement in the implementation of specialized projects.

Noting the wide opportunities for cooperation in various areas, the businessmen confirmed their readiness to take part in large-scale infrastructure projects being implemented in Turkmenistan. Stressing that the proposals of the Hero-Arkadag, which are of absolute relevance, will be carefully studied, the guests expressed confidence that appropriate agreements will be reached on them. At the same time, it was noted that one of the important issues of our time is the training of qualified specialists and the exchange of best practices.

Noting that many world-famous companies operate in our country, the National Leader of the Turkmen people emphasized that an essential requirement for the construction of facilities is their compliance with high quality standards and environmental standards. And in this regard, Korean companies have proved themselves to be responsible partners. Stressing that there are huge opportunities for the intensification of bilateral cooperation, Hero-Arkadak noted that Turkmenistan is also ready to consider the proposals of the Korean side.

Representatives of the business community of the Republic of Korea stressed that the energy and chemical resources available in our country have a high degree of suitability for processing. It is also an important factor for effective joint activities.

Noting once again the tremendous prospects for cooperation with Korean partners in the fuel, energy and industrial sectors, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that joint projects in this direction will be successfully implemented.

There are also ample opportunities for productive addition of efforts in the shipbuilding industry. As you know, the Balkan Shipbuilding and ship repair plant has signed a contract with Koryo Shipbuilding Industry Technology Co., Ltd of the Republic of Korea on the joint construction of two dry cargo vessels with a capacity of 6,100 tons. Relevant activities are being carried out in this direction. According to the new standard, re-equipment and measurement work are carried out in the production workshops and on the company's sites. Measures are being taken to obtain certification for the Balkan plant according to international ISO standards. The issues of training qualified specialists are also being considered.

Among the strategic vectors of the partnership are transport and logistics, cargo transportation. It is planned to establish direct flights between the two countries.

Expressing sincere gratitude to the Hero Arkadag for the businesslike, substantive conversation that took place, the guests reaffirmed the readiness of the business circles of the Republic of Korea to expand long-term mutually beneficial cooperation with Turkmenistan.