TURKMENISTAN - AUSTRIA: THE DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS COOPERATION

On September 1-2, 2016, the eighth meeting of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Austrian joint commission had been held in Vienna, Republic of Austria. Co-chairman of the Austrian part of the commission was the Deputy Minister for Foreign Economic Policy and European Integration of the Federal Ministry of Economy, Science and Research of Austria, Ms. Bernadette M. Gierlinger.

At the beginning of the committee meeting, the sides discussed the implementation of agreements reached at the seventh session of the commission, held in February 2015 in Ashgabat.

Appreciating the results of the work done to implement the agreements reached earlier, the committee members discussed issues of strengthening cooperation in trade, energy and the environment, processing industry, agriculture and construction, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

At the end of the eighth meeting of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Austrian joint commission final protocol was signed. Also, the parties agreed to hold the ninth session of the commission in 2017 in Turkmenistan.

As part of the work of the commission, bilateral meetings between representatives of Austrian companies and members of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, as well as the heads of the various organizations and departments of Turkmenistan had been held.

In addition, during the visit of the delegation, the Turkmen-Austrian business forum was organized by the Federal Economic Chamber of Austria, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan. 

The work of the Turkmen-Austrian business forum was held on September 2, 2016 and was attended by over 100 Turkmen and Austrian businessmen. Also the opening ceremony of the business forum was attended by the Second President of the National Council of Austria Karlheinz Kopf. As a result of the business forum, contracts for the purchase and supply of raw materials and equipment for production of food products, as well as the provision of transport services had been signed between the Turkmen and Austrian businessmen.