Turkmenistan: Berdymukhamedov Does Berlin

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on November 17 wrapped up his first visit to Germany. Talks focused on ways to advance Turkmen-European Union cooperation, state-owned Altyn Asyr TV reported.

Berdymukhamedov led a 140-strong delegation to Germany, arriving in Berlin November 14 for a series of talks with top German political and business leaders. The visit came just days after the EU signaled it would begin normalizing relations with the authoritarian, but energy-rich state. Prior to the Turkmen leader's arrival, human rights activists called on Berlin to raise concern about routine abuses in Turkmenistan. There was no immediate indication that human rights issues figured prominently in the bilateral dialogue.

At a news conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that in return for increased energy cooperation, Germany was prepared to enhance Turkmenistan's transport and engineering infrastructure. "There is significant potential here. Turkmenistan is a rich country as far as gas and oil are concerned, and cooperation is far from exhausted," she said.

Berdymukhamedov likewise was enthused about the prospects for closer economic cooperation. "We have a good track-record of the long-standing cooperation with German partners, and I am sure this meeting and its results will give a powerful boost to further development of the productive bilateral dialogue," Berdymukhamedov said.

According to Altyn Asyr, President Berdymukhamedov described the visit as "a new chapter in the history of friendly relations, based on the principles of equality and mutual respect." After a brief stay in the southern German city of Munich, the Turkmen delegation traveled to the Austrian capital Vienna for trade talks.