Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu in a joint press conference with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov following their meeting on Monday in Ankara said the Turkish side will be pleased if Turkish companies will participate in important construction projects that will be carried out in Turkmenistan in coming period.
Cavusoglu said, "The investments of Turkish companies in Turkmenistan has approached half a billion dollars,” adding that in the field of contracting, Turkmenistan is the largest market for Turkish companies after Russia.
The top Turkish diplomat emphasized that more than 1,000 projects worth approximately $50 billion have been realized by Turkish firms in Turkmenistan.
"Turkmenistan has very important projects in the coming period. They are building new cities. We will be pleased that they will give place to Turkish companies here as well," Mevlut Cavusoglu added.
Although trade between the two countries is growing, Cavusoglu said there is no significant increase as he affirmed the need to enhance efforts to reach a $5 billion target.
Last year, bilateral trade between Turkey and Turkmenistan increased 45 percent compared to the previous year and reached over $2 billion, according to the Turkish Foreign Minister.
For his part, Meredov said that the meeting addressed political, economic, and cultural ties as well as possible future cooperation.
"We exchanged views on regional and national issues of mutual interest," he added.
On Monday, President of Turkey Recep Erdogan also received Rashid Meredov at the presidential complex.
