Baltic States – CIS, Energy, Legislation, Lithuania, Markets and Companies, Transport

Photo: lrv.lt

"Bilateral economic relations between Lithuania and Turkmenistan have been gaining momentum, with over ten times trade increase since 2008," said Maciulis, noting however that there still was much space for improvement.

According to the chancellor, Lithuania is interested in developing cooperation in the field of agriculture. "Our meat and dairy products are in great demand in Belarus, Ukraine and Central Asian markets. We would like to have a relevant bilateral agreement signed with the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan," said Maciulis.

The cooperation could be developed in the areas of agriculture and food processing, rural development, organic farming, food quality and standardization, breeding, food safety and animal health, plant protection, land management, development and support of information systems in agriculture. It would also enable the exchange of information on national agricultural and food exhibitions, organization of trade missions and promotion of business cooperation.

According to the minister, Turkmenistan is interested in cooperation with Lithuanian companies operating in the fields of medical equipment, construction, railway, etc.

The chancellor of the Government pointed out Lithuania's advantage as regards the well-developed transport infrastructure: the ice-free port of Klaipeda, rail and road transport logistics centres, as well as the availability of highly skilled professionals. Maciulis also noted air transport development as a possibility for further cooperation.

Energy issues were also among the items discussed. Lithuania is interested in the supply of gas from Turkmenistan, which is the sixth in the world by natural gas reserves.