OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2011. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov signed a Number of international agreements during Lukashenko’s visit to Ashghabad.

The two presidents signed a joint Belarus-Turkmenistan communique expressing their willingness to seek new forms of economic cooperation.

The presidents noted the importance of using the countries’ potential in cooperation in power engineering, chemical and light industries.

The Foreign Ministries of both countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on the allotment of land plots to open the Embassy of Belarus in Turkmenistan and the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Belarus.

Also, the Finance Ministries of Belarus and Turkmenistan signed a cooperation agreement.

Lukashenko and Berdymuhamedov also discussed a number of joint projects, the most significant one being the construction of Garlyk mining complex to produce potash fertilizers. The project is projected to cost USD 1 billion.

Berdimuhamedov invited Belarus to participate in projects in the Avaza resort area.

The Avaza resort concept includes three phases to be implemented by 2020. Currently, the total cost of the facilities constructed on the Caspian coast exceeds USD 1.5 billion

Trade between Belarus and Turkmenistan reached USD 16 million, an increase of 210% on the year. Exports rose 220% to over USD 15 million.