The priority areas of the Turkmen-Italian relations were discussed by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella by telephone on Thursday.

As the head of Turkmenistan noted, his visit to Italy in November 2019 and the agreements reached as a result of government negotiations gave a qualitatively new impetus to the multifaceted Turkmen-Italian cooperation.

- In 2019, Italy took the 3rd place in the foreign trade of Turkmenistan, while the bilateral trade turnover amounted to more than $ 1.5 billion, - Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said.

During the conversation, the presidents discussed the promotion of the agreements of last year's Turkmen-Italian business forum in Milan, during which 20 agreements were concluded on the supply of equipment and the creation of a number of enterprises in Turkmenistan.

To strengthen trade and economic partnership, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proposed creating a Turkmen-Italian Business Council, annually holding the Days of Italian Economy in Turkmenistan, as well as opening a trade mission of Turkmenistan in Milan.

The oil and gas industry, communication sector, and processing industries were identified as key areas of bilateral cooperation.

In the context of further development of cooperation, emphasis was placed on the oil and gas sector. It was noted that the Italian company ENI has been operating in Turkmenistan since 2008, which seeks to expand its business in our country, and in particular, is exploring the possibilities of participating in the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.

The presidents also noted that there is a solid potential for cooperation in the oil and gas processing industries, including the construction of factories for the production of finished products by processing natural gas. In this regard, the Turkmen leader proposed to organize an online meeting with representatives of Italian business in the near future.

Another promising area of ​​cooperation is the sphere of communications and communications, where opportunities for partnership with Thales Alenia Space are being considered. In May 2020, an interdepartmental commission was created in Turkmenistan to study the needs of government agencies in obtaining detailed satellite data for the further development of the economy.

Among the promising joint projects, the creation of enterprises for the production of solar panels, ceramic products, etc. was also named.

During the conversation, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited his Italian counterpart to pay an official visit to Turkmenistan at any time convenient for him. Sergio Mattarella noted that he will be sincerely glad to visit Turkmenistan as soon as appropriate conditions appear.

Sergio Mattarella supported the proposals of the head of Turkmenistan to strengthen inter-MFA contacts, build up and diversify economic and humanitarian cooperation, organize cultural events, and deepen ties between universities. As noted, all of them will be considered in detail and transferred to the Italian government for implementation.