Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov today received visiting Ashgabat Turkish Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Mehmet Hilmi Guler and Secretary-General of Justice and Development Party Idris Naim Sahin as well as accompanying them Recai Berber, head of the ERDEMIR industrial consortium, and Muhammet Chapa, head of SEHIL company.

The Turkish minister conveyed greeting messages from his President Ahmed Hejdet Sezer and prime minister of Turkey Rejep Tayyp Erdogan to the Turkmen leader.

As Mehmet Hilmi Guler noted, Turkey attaches great importance to strengthening and developing the bilateral relations with Turkmenistan. According to him, Turkish people watch with keen interest the transformations that take place on the land of their ancestors in the era of independence and are happy with the successes of their Turkmen brothers.

Saparmurat Niyazov also conveyed the best wishes to the leaders of Turkish republic, having stressed that every visit by envoys of the friendly state is another evidence of the sides' aspiration for further expansion of mutually advantageous partnership.

According to the State news service (TDH), during the meeting, the sides discussed the progress of earlier accords, and above all, in the strategically important fuel and energy sector, including the supply of Turkmen electricity to Turkey. As is known, export of Turkmen electricity to Turkey started in December 2003 via Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey energy bridge constructed under a trilateral accord. In this context, the sides reaffirmed their mutual interest in continuation and expansion of mutually advantageous cooperation in this sphere and agreed to expand the efficient partnership in the gas field.

During the meeting, the sides also discussed the issue of constructing a US $ 64.5 mln metallurgical plant, the first ever in the country. The plant will be constructed by the ERDEMIR industrial consortium and the SEHIL company, according to the signed contract. In this connection, Turkish representatives expressed readiness to launch this project noting that it would turn a new page in the history of the bilateral partnership. Turkish businessmen also pledged to construct one more facility, an aluminum plant, in Turkmenistan.

Having expressed satisfaction with the wish of the guests to take part in implementation of this large project, Saparmurat Niyazov said the construction of the first plant of the national non-ferrous metallurgy is planed in Mary province which has all necessary conditions and resources for that.

In an interview with the TDH, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Mehmet Hilmi Guler highly rated the meeting and said it was held in the friendly and trustworthy atmosphere which is inherent in relations between two countries.

Turkish Ambassador to Turkmenistan Hakky Akil also attended the meeting.