Enlarged session of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan
On November 4, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov convened an enlarged Cabinet session to sum up the running year’s ten-month state-of-the-economy outcomes.
The head of state gave the floor to Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Hojamammedov to report on macroeconomic indicators in the ten-month period of 2016, as well as on the draft State Budget of Turkmenistan for 2017.
Over the period under review, the GDP growth rate went up by 6.2 percent, including in the following sectors: industry – 1.3 pc; construction – 4.5 pc; transport and communications – 10.3 pc; trade – 14.7 pc; agriculture – 11.3 pc; services – 9.7 pc.
The total output growth increased by 3.4 percent in comparison with the same period in 2015.
In January-October of 2016, retail trade turnover grew by 16.9 percent. Prices for consumer products and services rendered to the population remained unchanged.
As compared to last year’s index, average monthly wages in the country rose by 9.4 percent.
Reporting on the State Budget execution, the vice-premier informed that its revenues and expenditures had reached 11.5 billion manats and 13.5 billion manats, respectively.
According to preliminary figures, as part of “The Revised National Program of the President of Turkmenistan on improving social conditions of the population of villages, settlements, etrap towns and etrap centers till 2020”, 45 social facilities, 3142.8 kilometers of utility systems, and 909.2 thousand square meters of dwelling were completed in the January-October period.
Alongside with that, 25 water and sewage treatment plants, 65 social facilities, over 769.3 thousand square meters of dwelling and utility systems are currently under construction.
In compliance with the Guidelines for the Velayats’ Industrial Sector Development, as of now, 208 construction projects have been completed. The new facilities, when fully operational, are expected to create 18,294 jobs.
The vice-premier also reported on the draft State Budget for 2017.
The comprehensive measures taken to improve the domestic banking system, the ongoing efforts aimed to offer a wider spectrum of banking services and to create a modern non-cash payment system with the use of advanced technologies were in the center of the report made by Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of Turkmenistan M. Annadurdyev.
In his report, Higher Control Chamber Chairman G. Gylyjov covered the implementation progress of commissions given earlier by the nation’s leader to analyze the work done in relation to land lease payment, as well as in the fields of industry and sports.
The 10-month activities in the sectors, he is in charge of, were the key issues the report made by Cabinet Deputy Chairman Ya. Kakaev was centered on.
The report looked at the performance indicators in the output of oil, gas condensate, natural and accompanying gas, raw hydrocarbons processing, production of gasoline, diesel fuel, polypropylene, lubricant oils, other oil products and liquefied gas, gas exports to foreign countries and well drilling. As informed, the plan for assimilated investments of the oil-and-gas sector’s enterprises was fulfilled 132.5 percent.
During the session, Prosecutor General of Turkmenistan A. Hallyev made the report on the outcomes of checks, which had revealed shortcomings in the fuel and energy sector, as well as in the improvement work ongoing in Ashgabat.
Summing up the report, the President of Turkmenistan assigned the concerned senior executives to correct the shortcomings in the shortest possible space of time.
The President of Turkmenistan severely reprimanded Chairman of the “Turkmennebit” State Concern T. Begjanov and Director General of the Turkmenbashi Refineries Complex B. Alymov for the improper fulfillment of their official duties and shortcomings in their work.
In turn, Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Ereshov concentrated his report on the outcomes of this year’s ten-month activities in the institutions he is responsible for.
As for the Ministry of Industry, production indices, works and services made up 112.1 percent with the production growth rate reaching 1.8 percent.
The production plan of the Ministry of Textile Industry was implemented 107.7 percent with a 0.6 percent increase in output. In the period under review textile products sales profits amounted to 1,164,800,000 manats with the pure profit of 52,400,000 manats.
When it comes to “Turkmenkhaly” State Association, its production plan was executed 106.6 percent in the January-October period. The growth rate stood at 4.3 percent.
The production plan of enterprises of the “Turkmenhimiya” State Concern was fulfilled 110.6 percent with the growth rate hitting 15.5 percent.
The total production output of enterprises of the State Fishery Committee of Turkmenistan reached 113.6 percent with a 29.1 percent increase in production, compared to the last year’s similar period.
Cabinet Deputy Chairman S. Satlykov reported on the January-October activities in the sectors answerable to him.
As the vice-premier informed, the transport and communications sector’s services plan was executed 110.8 percent with the growth rate standing at 102.3 percent.
The plan for services rendered by the Ministry of Railway Transport was implemented 117 percent. The indicator for goods and passenger transportation services totaled 100 percent and 101.1 percent, respectively.
The plan for services provided by the Ministry of Motor Transport was implemented 128 percent with the growth rate standing at 100.5 percent; freight and passenger traffic hit 102 percent and 101.2 percent, respectively.
In January-October, the rate of works accomplished by the Ministry of Communications reached 110.7 percent. During this period of time, 412,000 telephone points, including 365,000 cellular and 47,000 fixed-line telephone points were provided in the country to meet the demand for communications services. The plan was fulfilled 191 percent.
As part of the National Rural Development Program, telephone stations (with 75, 600 numbers) were installed, and 2,822 kilometers of telecommunication networks were laid in 64 settlements.
The growth rate of air services, rendered by the “Turkmenhovayollary” State National Service in the January-October period made up 114 percent. The index for goods and passenger transportation services totaled 102.5 percent and 102.7 percent, respectively.
Over the 10-month period, the growth dynamics of works accomplished by the State Sea and River Transport Service hit 100.4 percent. The figures reached 103.5 pc and 100.1 pc, respectively for goods and passenger traffic.
Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Manager of the President’s Administration and the Cabinet Ministers of Turkmenistan Sh. Durdylyev took the floor to report on the 10-month work in the sectors he is responsible for, as well as on the measures aimed at the capital’s development and improvement.
During this period of time, the plan for works accomplished and services rendered by the Ashgabat city Khyakimlik was implemented 106 percent. The growth rate totaled 116.6 percent in comparison with last year’s similar period.
As for the Ministry of Construction and Architecture, its plan for works and services was executed 119.3 percent with the growth rate hitting 101.4 when compared to the 10-month period in 2015.
The total output values, works accomplished and services provided by the Ministry of Energy amounted to 907 million 347.5 thousand manats. As a result, its production plan was implemented 122.7 percent with the growth rate reaching 111.8 percent compared to last year’s figures. The growth rate of electric power production and exports totaled 105.7 and 117.2 percent respectively.
When it comes to the Ministry of Municipal Services of Turkmenistan, the production output values, works and services in the period under review totaled 110.6 percent. The growth rate made up 108.5 percent.
The “Turkmenavtoyollary” State Concern implemented its production, works and services plan 101.3 percent. The growth rate stood at 102.7 percent in comparison with the same period in 2015.
The report made by Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Atdaev was an extensive coverage of the running year’s 10-month activities in the trade sector, he is responsible for.
As compared to the same period of last year, total trade turnover of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations rose by 5.9 percent. An increase in profits stood at 4.1 percent. The investments assimilated by the Ministry’s enterprises totaled 141.6 million manats.
The State Commodities and Raw Materials Exchange conducted 202 transactions and registered 12,876 contracts. Import-export contracts and construction contracts amounted to 11 billion 168 million manats and over 4 billion 462 million manats, respectively. The investments expended during this time reached 41 million 360.2 thousand manats (66.1 percent increase compared to last year’s indicator).
As for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the growth rate of provided services stood at 110.5 percent. The within-said period marked 21 exhibitions and 22 conferences.
The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan produced industrial goods worth 533.7 million manats, agricultural and food products worth 862.5 million manats with 42.5 percent and 46.3 percent increase in output, respectively.
In comparison with the last year’s similar period, the amount of construction and erection works done by the Union increased by 3 percent. Growth achieved in trade turnover was 103.6 percent. The volume of services rendered by the Union grew by 5.1 percent.
In her report Cabinet Deputy Chairperson G. Mammedova covered this year’s 10-month activities in the sectors, she is in charge of.
The vice-premier informed on the continued efforts to improve performance of theaters, museums, libraries, other cultural institutions and the mass media. In the period under review, the Turkmen State Publishing Service printed 282 titles of books. The target plan was executed 138.7 percent.
Next speaker, Cabinet Deputy Chairman S. Toilyev presented the report on the 10-month activities in the supervised spheres. During this period of time, secondary schools (with a total capacity of 9,540 seats), kindergartens (with a total capacity of 2,970 seats), and the new 3,000-seat higher education institution (the Oguzhan University of Engineering Technologies), and a children’s 300-seat health center were built in the country.
In January-October, Turkmen schoolchildren and students (winners of subject and project competitions) competed in international intellectual contests, having won 77 and 24, medals respectively. Talented young people also took active part in online intellectual contests, having taken 344 prize-winning places (with 184 medals won by schoolchildren, 145 medals by students of higher education institutions, 15 medals by students of vocational schools), as well as various award certificates.
Over the period in question, of 300 titles of textbooks and tutorials, which had been prepared for publication, 172 were printed.
As part of preparations for the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the teaching staff of higher education universities compiled specialized phrase books and sport-related dictionaries. A book entitled “2017 Asian Games. Sports and Disciplines” also appeared in print.
Reporting on the activities in the health sector, the vice-premier informed that growth of revenues collected from the national voluntary health insurance payments had totaled 102 percent. Increase in revenues earned from medical services and sales of healthcare products, and from the pharmaceutical production hit 112 and 107 percent, respectively.
Over the period of ten months, our country hosted 156 domestic competitions and 83 mass participation sporting events. Our athletes participated in 119 international tournaments and won 547 prizes (191 gold, 172 silver and 184 bronze medals), which is 228 medals more compared with the same period of last year.
The 10-month activity of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan received an extensive coverage in the report of Mejlis Chairperson A. Nurberdyeva.
During this time, the national parliament held five sessions to adopt 73 laws and 81 resolutions of the Mejlis and to approve international treaties.
In the after-report comments, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov focused on the 2017 State Budget, having stressed the need for its careful preparation and approval by Mejlis deputies.
Reporting on the 10-month activities in the supervised sectors, Cabinet Deputy Chairman R. Bazarov informed that on the whole, the production, works and services growth rates in the agro-industrial sector had reached 103.8 percent.
In particular, the growth rates achieved by the following institutions totaled in percentage terms: the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management – 105.8; the State Committee of Turkmenistan on Environment Protection and Land Resources – 114.2; the State Food Industry Association – 100.2; the “Turkmenatlary” State Association – 125.6.
The sector’s plan for assimilated investments was fulfilled 139.8 percent.
Speaking of the Foreign Ministry’s activities in the period under review, Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov highlighted that under the guidance of the nation’s leader, our country is successfully promoting constructive cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats, as well as within authoritative international organizations and agencies. The outcomes of official and working visits of the head of state, made this year to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Federative Republic of Germany and the Russian Federation serve as a clear illustration.
Over the within-said period, 370 different-level foreign delegations paid visits to Turkmenistan through the Foreign Ministry; at the same time, 822 Turkmen delegations were sent abroad. 159 events, including conferences, seminars, meetings, etc. were held in our country and beyond.
Regular bilateral different-level contacts with foreign partners testify to progressive development of cooperation. Since the start of this year, 26 foreign-ministry-level consultations, 14 meetings of intergovernmental commissions and 12 joint business forums have been held.
The foreign minister also informed on preparations for the official visit of the President of Turkmenistan to Malaysia on November 7-8.
Focusing on the issue of Turkmen-Malaysian relations, the head of state stressed the importance of the upcoming bilateral summit talks, which are expected to result in signing a package of documents aimed to give fresh impetus to development of interstate partnership in the long term.
In his report, the vice-premier, Foreign Minister also centered on ongoing preparations for the first Global Conference on Sustainable Transport System in Ashgabat on November 26-27. The global forum is expected to be attended by the heads of states and governments, speakers of parliaments, chief executives of sectoral ministries and reputable international organizations.
The report also included the information on preparations for the ceremony of opening the Asian International Railway Corridor (Phase 1).
Summing up the report, the nation’s leader highlighted the importance of thorough preparations for the upcoming landmark events of international significance, such as the Global Conference on Sustainable Transport System, the opening ceremony of the new transnational railway (Phase 1), and the conference timed to the national holiday of Turkmenistan – Neutrality Day.
State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH)