ANKARA - Turkish Agriculture & Rural Affairs Minister Sami Guclu stated that Turkey and Turkmenistan can collaborate in agriculture to realize joint projects.
Minister Guclu received the Turkmen Ambassador to Turkey Nurberdi Amanmuradov.
He indicated that strong historical ties exist between Turkey and Turkmenistan. ''After the disintegration of the Soviet bloc, Turkish businessmen started to be active in Turkmenistan, especially in textile, health, tourism, agriculture and construction industries,'' told Guclu.
Guclu remarked that poultry is a promising sector. ''We have several options in the field of agriculture and that will help to promote commercial ties between our countries.''
According to Guclu, Turkey can help Turkmenistan in cotton and seed production and health care of farm animals.
Guclu expressed that the trade volume between Turkey and Turkmenistan is around 350 million U.S. dollars. ''We must work on making this amount greater in the near future,'' stated Guclu.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Amanmuradov told A.A that, since the independence, Turkish businessmen have participated in the realization of commercial projects in Turkmenistan worth more than seven billion U.S. dollars. ''The Turkish capital in Turkmenistan is now estimated 1.5 billion U.S. dollars'' he said.