Trade and Education. The Ambassador of Belarus outlined the prospects for cooperation with Turkmenistan

Vyacheslav Beskosty, 24 May, Ashgabat. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Turkmenistan Vyacheslav Beskosty outlined the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in an interview with journalists, BELTA reports.


"There are a number of trade contracts for the supply of our products to Turkmenistan and Turkmen products to Belarus . There are trading houses - a Belarusian one in Ashgabat and a Turkmen one in MINSK. A fairly large range of products is sold through them. There are also direct contracts between business entities, usually privately owned. We would very much like to resume supplies of engineering products to the Turkmen market. These are buses, trucks, tractors. There are still certain issues with this, but we are working on it," Vyacheslav Beskosty said.

According to him, Turkmen bed and table linen, tableware, cotton and textile clothing are very popular on the Belarusian market. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in tomato supplies to Belarus. "As for our deliveries to Turkmenistan, dairy products and MEAT products are very popular. Belarusian food products are a kind of quality mark for the Turkmen consumer. If it is made in Belarus, it means that it is not only tasty, but also healthy. Cheeses , butter , yoghurts,sour cream , cream and other dairy products. SUGAR , alcoholic beverages , ethyl ALCOHOL, wood processing products are also supplied. A wide range of Belarusian goods is in demand here. We are looking for contacts, we try to regularly organize visits of business delegations," the ambassador noted.
 
Education has been the main driver of cooperation for many years. "Five years ago, the number of Turkmen students studying at Belarusian universities reached 12 thousand. Every fifth foreign student in Belarus was from Turkmenistan. Currently, this figure has decreased by about half, but after the pandemic, Turkmen applicants are starting to become more active. Last year, we issued about 2 thousand visas to first-year students, this figure will be increased this year. I hope that in a few years we will reach a very good level of cooperation in this area. Belarusian higher education is very well received and valued among Turkmen citizens; people find decent jobs after returning from our country,” emphasized Vyacheslav Beskosty.