Turkmenistan Offers Oil and Gas Projects to Japanese Itochu
Topic: Economy & business
Ashgabat, 27 September 2005 (nCa) --- During a meeting Monday with the delegation of the Japanese firm Itochu, President Niyazov of Turkmenistan offered a wide range of options for mutual cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

Japanese delegation was headed by Minoru Murofushi, former head of Itochu, and current chair of Japan-Turkmenistan Council on Economic Cooperation, a voluntary body that looks after the economic interests of Japan in Turkmenistan.

Niyazov invited Itochu to participate in modernization and renovation of Seyidi refinery, a composite project that could cost more than US $ one billion.

He also asked them to consider working on the hydrocarbon deposits in the Caspian sector of Turkmenistan.

Japanese delegation showed serious interest in both the offers.

It was decided during the meeting that Turkmenistan-Japan Committee on Economic Cooperation would meet in December this year in Japan. Guichnazar Tachnazarov, deputy prime minister of Turkmenistan responsible for oil and gas sector, would lead the Turkmen delegation in the talks.

The visitor said that because of huge economic potential, flexible investment and tax policy and internal political stability, many Japanese companies in the public and private sector were keen to partner with Turkmenistan.

Niyazov said that Turkmenistan considers Itochu Corporation a long-term partner of Turkmenistan. He asked the Itochu representatives and ministry of oil and gas officials to work together to prepare the list of engineering and machinery units that Turkmenistan would purchase from Itochu in 2006.

Itochu also offered to train the female Judo team of Turkmenistan for the Beijing Olympics.

Murofushi last visited Ashgabat in August 2004.

Itochu is a traditional business partner of Turkmenistan. It has participated in rebuild of Turkmenbashy refinery, the most-modern refining facility in the entire CIS region. It is part of the consortium that provided, and is upgrading, the polypropylene plant in the Turkmenbashy refinery. Itochu also supplied the desalination plant in the same refinery.

Itochu provides heavy construction machinery, earthmoving equipment, pipe layers, dredgers, bulldozers, and other machinery items to Turkmenistan. A network of Itochu and Komatsu service centres that is slated to expand to the entire territory of Turkmenistan makes Japanese companies a preferred partner of Turkmenistan.

Itochu had 6.5% stake in the CentGas consortium, the Unocal-led gas pipeline project that was the predecessor of the present Trans-Afghan Pipeline (TAP) scheme. Several Japanese companies including Itochu have shown interest in the TAP project which is still on the drawing board.

In the CIS region, Itochu maintains offices in Azerbijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Turkmenistan-Japan economic cooperation committee was formed in 1994.

Japanese Charge d’Affaires, Yasumasa Iijima, was also present during the meeting.

Turkmenistan Joins Interpol
Topic: Foreign Relations
Ashgabat, 21 September 2005 (nCa) --- Turkmenistan has been accepted as the newest member of Interpol. The decision was taken unanimously Monday in Berlin during the 74th session of the General Assembly of Interpol.

In a message to President Niyazov of Turkmenistan, the secretary general of Interpol, Ronald Noble says, “I would like to congratulate your country on joining Interpol, which was approved by a unanimous vote of all of its members during the first day of work of the 74th session of the General Assembly in Berlin.”

Noble expressed hope that admission of Turkmenistan into Interpol would strengthen the readiness in combating criminal offences not only within the country but also at international level.

“Let me assure you of the full support from our side and readiness for cooperation by way of establishing a national central bureau and also by offering assistance in making Turkmenistan an important and active member of the organization by linking it to the global information system of Interpol "I-24/7,” says Noble.

Nearly 600 law enforcement delegates from 154 member countries gathered in Berlin this week, making it the largest General Assembly in the organization’s history.

Interpol is the world's largest international police organization, now with 184 member countries on five continents.

Founded in 1923 to enhance international police co-operation, officers from more than 70 countries now work side by side at Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, France, and in its regional bureaus around the world.

The Interpol global police communications system, I-24/7, allows police in all member countries to access crucial data or exchange messages instantly as they investigate cross-border crime or seek the arrest of international fugitives.

UNICEF, Turkmenistan hold seminar on Child Protection issues
Ashgabat, 8 Sept 2005 (nCa) --- The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, working alongside Turkmenistan’s Women’s Union, has held the first of two orientation workshops for government officials working in the field of child protection and family support.

The first seminar, from September 5-7, involved 30 officials working in the capital and Ahal province who came together to discuss how the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) supports the right of children to grow up in a family environment, one of UNICEF’s key approaches to prevent institutionalisation of children.

”The workshop was useful, particularly the exchange of opinions on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as on improving joint coordinating efforts for the protection of children’s rights at community level. We got a consensus on various aspects of our work relating to children which was based on the principles of the CRC,” said participant Meret Ovezov, Head of the Inspectorate of Juvenile Affairs at the Ministry of Interior.

The second of the two workshops will cover the same topics and will be held from 13-15 September involving 30 officials from Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary provinces, so that all Turkmenistan will have been represented in the seminars. Participants come from all the official agencies working in the child protection field countrywide, including the Interior, Welfare and Education Ministries, as well as community-based family support centres and managers of residential care institutions.

The two seminars are part of a long-term regional UN programme which was launched jointly with the Government of Japan, and follow on from a UNICEF-organised Child Rights workshop held in Balkan province in June, which involved children and their guardians from the provincial orphanage.

This month’s workshops, the first to gather together representatives from all relevant agencies and departments to share their views, are also taking place with the full cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Mahboob Shareef, UNICEF Representative in Turkmenistan, said he regarded the seminars as another constructive outcome of the joint collaboration between the Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Children’s Fund. UNICEF remains committed to working with the government to help it fulfil its national priorities and international obligations covering children’s rights. [Write up courtesy UNICEF Turkmenistan]

EBRD Holds Training Seminar for Turkmen Bankers
Topic: Economy & business
Ashgabat, 7 September 2005 (nCa) --- A seminar for the bank officers of Turkmenistan, sponsored by RBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), started Tuesday in Ashgabat.

“Course for banks on assistance to international trade” is the title of the seminar and it would continue 5-9 September 2005.

Tony Myron, head of the regional office of EBRD in Turkmenistan delivered the keynote address in the opening session.

The effective assistance of banks to the international trade operations is one of the major factors stimulating the development of economy,” said Myron.

During the seminar, the bankers would be introduced to various models of international cooperation for successful development of national economy and risk free banking.

Baking sector of Turkmenistan is expected to benefit immensely from the seminar because the integration into the international banking system is one of the areas where more needs to be done quickly.

Some basic concepts and procedures such as import-export documents, assessment of loan applications, rules of inter-bank transactions, special letters of credit and various forms of liabilities and guarantees would also be taught during the seminar.

Seminar participants would be required to analyse real-life case studies from European banks to educate them on avoiding banking risks in their work.

SECO of Switzerland, a long term partner of EBRD in Turkmenistan, has provided financial support for the seminar.

The last seminar arranged by EBRD was held in spring 2004.

Turkmenistan Air Force Conducts Tactical Exercises
Topic: Permanent Neutrality
Ashgabat, 6 September 2005 (nCa) --- Turkmen Air Force has conducted tactical exercises in the Mary province where the largest air base of Turkmenistan is located.

The exercise, held under the broad theme ‘Peaceful Skies’, was meant to hone the pilot and ground crew skills in detecting and destroying hostile interference in the air space.

MiG-29 fighter jets and Su-25 attack planes formed the core component of the exercise. Ground support and auxiliary services also participated in the maneuver.

The scenario covered simulated intrusion into the airspace of Turkmenistan, dogfight, and elimination of air and ground threats.

Radio controlled air target was destroyed by air to air missiles during the exercise.

Turkmenistan follows the policy of strict neutrality but an integral element of the policy is that the armed forces of the country should be able to safeguard the borders and repel any attacks.