Ashgabat

A meeting of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Bulgarian commission for economic cooperation was held in Turkmenistan's Avaza tourist zone, Trend reports referring to a source involved in the talks.

The issues of cooperation in the field of energy, trade, agriculture, transport, and communication were discussed during the meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was received by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the capital city of Ashgabat on Nov. 9.

A road and rail corridor connecting war-torn Afghanistan with Turkey and Europe was signed off by officials from five countries on Nov. 15 in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat.

Turkmenistan's strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was sworn in Feb. 17 in a grand ceremony after securing over 97 percent of an almost uncontested vote at the weekend.

Berdymukhamedov, 59, kissed the state flag three times and stood on a white sheep wool carpet symbolizing a "bright path and kind deeds." The ceremony was attended by around 2,500 people.

Turkmenistan's reigning strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov bagged a new seven-year term with nearly 98 percent of a weakly contested vote, electoral officials said on Feb. 13, following a preliminary count.

Some nine candidates will be on the ballot for a presidential poll in reclusive Turkmenistan on Feb. 12, but only one - incumbent president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov - stands a chance of winning.

Turkmenistan opened a railway link to Afghanistan on Nov. 28 to boost exports of fuel as the gas-rich but cash-strapped nation seeks to ease its dependence on China and Russia.

High-level representatives from Ankara and Moscow have come together for face-to-face talks for the second time since Turkey downed a Russian warplane over airspace violations last month. 

Japan and Turkmenistan on Oct. 23 signed deals worth over $18 billion on a package of projects in the energy-rich central Asian nation, which has become an important supplier of natural gas to China.

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov will meet with Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat on Tuesday.

The two are to discuss the diversification of bilateral commercial and economic partnership, increasing the trade volume, creating transport-transit corridors, and cooperation in tourism.