The Astrakhan-Turkmenistan Joint Council on Entrepreneurship in its third meeting held online on Wednesday discussed issues of cooperation, including the opening of a logistics center of Turkmenistan in the Russia’s Astrakhan region, the press service of the Astrakhan governor's administration reports.
The Director General of the Lotos Special Economic Zone Sergey Milushkin said the possible site for the logistics center has already been determined. It is expected to be built on the territory of the port special economic zone, under construction at the Olya port, he added.
In his speech, the Minister of Industry and Natural Resources of the region Denis Afanasyev said the foreign trade turnover of the Astrakhan region and Turkmenistan in the first nine months of 2021 amounted to $198.5 million.
"We understand that the potential of foreign trade is much higher and we want to further increase our interaction in this direction," Afanasyev stated.
Producers in Astrakhan aim to supply agricultural products and industrial goods to Turkmenistan, and purchase Turkmen textiles, cotton fiber and polypropylene, according to the report.
Astrakhan region and Turkmenistan are also cooperating in shipbuilding. Astrakhan’s enterprises have already built several oil production platforms and other fleet facilities for Turkmenistan, and have expressed their readiness to execute new shipbuilding orders.