Session of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan

On May 6, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov convened a regular Cabinet session to sum up the running year’s four-month state-of-the-economy outcomes, to discuss a number of important issues of state life and some draft documents.

After reading out the agenda, the head of state gave the floor to Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Hojamammedov to report on the country’s socio-economic development in the January-April period. As a macroeconomic analysis shows, in the period under report a GDP growth rate reached 106.3 percent, including in the following sectors: industry – 102.4 p c; construction – 105.6 p c; transport and communications – 110.1 p c; trade – 116.7 p c; agriculture – 106 p c; services – 109.8 p c.

Following the performance review of ministries and sectoral agencies, the production growth rates made up 103.2 percent. High performance indicators were recorded in all sectors of the national economy.

Over the four-month period, the State Budget revenues and expenditures amounted to 100.1 percent and 90 percent respectively.

Summing up the report, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has noted that the work of the economic sector’s institution is highly unsatisfactory. The adopted programs, in particular, the National Rural Development Program, the Program for supplying pure drinking water to the population of Turkmenistan, the Program for the privatization of state-owned enterprises and buildings, the Program for the reorganization of enterprises into joint stock corporations, are not being implemented effectively, the head of state said. The nation’s leader expressed his dissatisfaction with the ongoing work on setting up exchanges, training specialists, developing the employment assistance and job-creation system.

Focusing on the failure of the Ministry of Finance to ensure proper control over the use of allocated funds at the local level, the President of Turkmenistan demanded to take every measure to correct similar shortcomings in other velayats. Having demanded to settle the issues concerning reciprocal payments between ministries and agencies in the shortest possible space of time, the head of state gave the Vice-Premier a number of issue-associated commissions.

Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Director of the State Agency for the Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources under the President of Turkmenistan Ya. Kakaev centered his report on the four-month activities in the fuel and energy sector, and the progress of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project (Turkmen section).

Commenting on the report, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov pointed out the need to step up the development of oil and gas fields in the country, while giving special consideration to the fields in the Caspian Sea (Turkmen sector) and the issues of diversified transportation of Turkmen energy resources to foreign countries. Alongside with the TAPI gas pipeline project, it is necessary to study the issues of natural gas deliveries to Europe and to complete the preliminary works on a new branch of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline, the head of state said, having given the Vice-Premier a number of specific instructions.

In his turn, Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Ereshov presented a report on the running year’s 4-month outcomes of the activities in the sector answerable to him.

After the report, the leader of nation Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov highlighted the importance of keeping up the work with the aim of turning Turkmenistan into an industrially-advanced country. There is a need to extensively exploit the private sector’s potential, the head of state stressed. Special focus should be on the creation of joint enterprises and jobs, as well as on taking urgent measures to ensure the efficient operation of industrial enterprises and increase public revenues, the President of Turkmenistan ordered.

The report of Cabinet Deputy Chairman R. Bazarov was concentrated on this year’s four-month activities in the supervised sectors.

Draft Resolutions “On rice production in Turkmenistan in 2016” and “On sugar beet production in Turkmenistan in 2016” were submitted for consideration by the head of state.

In the report follow-up comments, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov demanded from R. Bazarov to intensify his efforts in the capacity of Cabinet Deputy Chairman, having assigned him and the sectors’ senior executives to go on working trips to velayats in the near future to get acquainted with the situation there.

Having noted the slow progress of agricultural reforms despite tremendous support from the state, the nation’s leader assigned the Vice-Premier to analyze cost-effectiveness of the sectors and identify the most development-favored ones. It is also necessary to study which of the forms of management should be adopted – daikhan associations or any other, the head of state said.

Among the vital tasks, which should be tackled as early as possible, the President of Turkmenistan pointed out the development of livestock farming, the supply of water to farmlands, the modernization of agricultural management.

The head of state instructed the Vice-Premier to prepare proposals on the development of agriculture to consider them at a meeting of the Elders’ Council.

Touching upon the upcoming grain harvesting, the President of Turkmenistan commissioned to take every measure to ensure efficient organization of the agri-campaign.

After signing the within-said Resolutions, the head of state gave a number of concrete assignments on their implementation.

Then, Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Atdaev reported on the running year’s January-April activities in the trade sector.

President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov assigned the Vice-Premier to prepare proposals to further develop the trade sector, to boost exports of Turkmenistan-made products to foreign countries, to improve the State Commodities and Raw Materials Exchange’s work, and to present them for consideration at a meeting with entrepreneurs, which is planned for the near future.

The nation’s leader also commissioned to draft necessary documents on the development of domestic business, which would continue to receive solid support from the state.

Cabinet Deputy Chairman S. Satlykov delivered a report on this year’s January-April work of the supervised spheres.

After the report, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov instructed Vice-Premier S. Satlykov to take necessary measures to ensure top quality of works and strict observance of construction schedules for large projects, including the capital’s International Airport, bridges over the Amudarya River, and the Turkmenbashi International Seaport. In this connection, the Vice-Premier was assigned to visit the construction sites in the immediate future to get acquainted with the work progress.

The President of Turkmenistan expressed his displeasure to the Vice-Premier over the relaxation of discipline of senior officials in the sectors, he is responsible for, and demanded to remedy the shortcomings in the shortest possible space of time.

Touching upon an out-of-office Cabinet session to be held in Balkan velayat in the near future to discuss the priority issues of the region’s development, the head of state commissioned S. Satlykov to prepare thoroughly for the session and gave a number of issue-related instructions.

The January-April activities in the supervised sphere, preparations for Turkmenistan Culture Days in the Republic of Belarus on May 11-13, and the upcoming visit of a Turkmen delegation of cultural, art and creative workers and media representatives to the friendly country were the key issues the report made by Cabinet Deputy Chairperson G. Mammedova was centered on.

Dwelling on numerous cultural events to be held in honor of the May-celebrated holidays, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov gave the Vice-Premier instructions on keeping them at a better and higher level in terms of organization and content.

The festivities to mark the 25th anniversary of sacred independence must receive special attention, the nation’s leader said, having given commissions on ensuring wide media coverage of our country’s progress and achievements in the years following the independence.

The head of state named the sustainable use of natural resources as one of the important themes to be covered in the national press, and gave the Vice-Premier specific instructions.

In his turn, Cabinet Deputy Chairman S. Toilyev informed about the running year’s four-month outcomes of the activities in the sectors, he is in charge of.

Summing up the report, the nation’s leader Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov assigned the Vice-Premier to ensure thorough preparations for the upcoming school-leaving examinations at secondary schools, entrance examinations at higher education institutions and secondary vocational schools, as well as for the other events. Social control must be exercised over entrance examinations, the head of state said, having also stressed the need to explore the issue of sending talented young people to study at universities abroad.

The nation’s leader also gave concrete commissions on getting children’s recreation centers ready for the summer holidays and creating every condition for good rest, recreational and leisure activities of young citizens of Turkmenistan.

Focusing on the horse relay race that started on May 5 to mark the 500-day countdown to the 2017 Asian Games, the President of Turkmenistan particularly emphasized the importance of ensuring a high organizational level of the unprecedented marathon and its extensive coverage in the mass media, and addressed a number of issue-associated instructions to the Vice-Premier.

Then the floor was given to Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Senior Manager of the Presidential and Cabinet Administration Office Sh. Durdylyev to inform about the four-month activities in the sectors, he is responsible for.

The Vice-Premier submitted project designs of the 15th phase of the Ashgabat Redevelopment Program for consideration by the head of state, in particular, illustrations of street lamps, bus shelters and pedestrian underpasses.

After the report, the head of state gave the Vice-Premier a number of concrete commissions on further improving the activities in the sectors and enhancing operational efficiency of the institutions he is in charge of.

The head of state drew the Vice Premier’s attention to the exceptional importance of the large-scale Redevelopment Program, designed to turn white marble Ashgabat into one of the most beautiful and well-planned cities in the world. Once again the nation’s leader necessitated meeting the core construction criteria – people’s comfort, reliability and safety of buildings, having made a number of corrections to the project designs and voiced proposals on design development.

Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov concentrated his report on the Ministry’s four-month activity in the context of realization of the 2013-2017 State Foreign Policy Conception of the country.

The report also included the information about preparations for an official visit of our country’s government delegation to be led by President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov to the Republic of Belarus on May 11-12.

Highlighting the importance of the top-level bilateral talks, the President of Turkmenistan gave the Foreign Minister commissions concerning the preparations for the official visit to the Republic of Belarus, which is expected to give renewed impetus to the traditionally multi-aspect cooperation of mutual interest.

Then, the floor was given to Chairperson of Mejlis A. Nurberdyeva to report on the four-month activity aimed to modernize the national legislation.

Having mentioned the improvement of the normative and legal framework as a fundamental requirement of the modern historical epoch, the nation’s leader stressed the importance of strengthening international cooperation in this area, exploring and analyzing the world’s best practices in lawmaking with the aim of adopting them in the national legislation.

Speaking of the need for a reliable legal framework for the wide-ranging reforms underway in the country, the head of state necessitated considering proposals for the country’s revised Constitution.

Given the importance of preparation of documents on the administrative-territorial division of Akhal velayat, initiated by the country’s national parliament on the proposal of the Cabinet of Ministers, the head of state focused the Mejlis Chairperson’s attention on the necessity to do similar work in velayats.

Addressing the meeting participants, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov summed up 2016’s four-month state-of-the-economy results.

Owing to the significant economic achievements, a GDP growth rate stood at 6.3 percent. The volume of investments in different sectors rose by 5.7 percent. The State Budget revenues were on target. On average, wages increased by 9.6 percent.

Different construction projects (worth more than US $50 billion) are currently under implementation countrywide. During the period under report, over 30 large facilities were completed and put into operation.

In particular, a gas drying plant, “Bagtyyarlyk-2”, was put into service; large panel construction enterprises were completely renovated; “Abadankhaly”, a manufacturing enterprise, a furniture complex of the Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Union, the International Akhalteke Equestrian Complex, and a new modern village were built and put into commission.

Along with that, various industrial and socio-cultural facilities, switching stations, buildings of frontier posts, health houses and others were built.

At the same time, residential buildings (with a total area of 475,000 square meters), including high-risers with improved accommodation were completed.

Large international and national projects are well underway, in particular the TAPI gas pipeline project.

The head of state drew attention to the rapid pace of the private sector development. Positive results were obtained in the transport-communications, trade and services sectors, the nation’s leader emphasized.

Speaking of the state business support policy, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov focused on the implementation of the state programs aimed at import substitution and growth in exports of Turkmenistan-made products.

Having noted that despite the significant progress and achievements, sectors of the national economy suffer from shortcomings, the head of state highlighted the need to make up for them in the shortest possible space of time.

Speaking of the particular importance of the upcoming big holiday, Victory Day, annually celebrated in our country, the nation’s leader heartily congratulated the people of Turkmenistan on the 71st anniversary of the Victory in the War of 1941-1945.

The meeting also considered some other issues and adopted the relevant resolutions.

State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH)