The presidents of Turkmenistan and South Korea signed a joint statement in Seoul, which provides for economic rapprochement between the two countries. Particular attention was paid to the construction of new facilities at the refinery complex in the city of Turkmenbashi, the construction of gas processing plants, as well as the implementation of projects in the field of metallurgy, the medical industry and other sectors. South Korea, in its turn, is interested in creating a single transport corridor through Central Asia to Europe. Experts believe that on the one hand, the Turkmen president's visit is purely economic and his status is high due to the fact that promising multibillion-dollar contracts are signed. On the other hand, it is geopolitical.
This is a return visit by the President of Turkmenistan to South Korea. Last summer, Park Geun-hye visited Ashgabat. It was the first ever visit by a South Korean leader to Turkmenistan, which has the fourth-largest gas reserves in the world. 'Turkmengaz' and South Korean LG and Hyundai have signedan agreement in Ashgabat to build two gas processing enterprises in Turkmenistan (the total cost of the projects is $4 billion).
A package of agreements signed during this visit expands the existing framework of cooperation. The two heads of state during the final meeting came to a consensus that the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the energy field, the construction of petrochemical and steel industry turnkey plants will contribute to the diversification and modernization of Turkmen industry. The sides agreed to expand cooperation to promote the construction of a gas liquefaction plant (GTL), a chemical complex, the second phase of the project of modernization of the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries, and the construction of steel and cement factories.
"These contracts are of great importance to Turkmenistan, which doesn't have its own metallurgical base, and has little reserves of oil, in comparison with gas. Therefore, Turkmenistan signs agreements on their own industry, synthetic fuel for gasoline and diesel fuel from gas. The country has no metals as well as oil in sufficient quantities. And all the oil is located on the Caspian shelf, and the uncertain status of large bodies of water does not allow large-scale projects to be started, and the situation around the Caspian is restless," a senior scientist of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Shokhrat Kadyrov, told Vestnik Kavkaza. According to him, Turkmenistan is facing the problem of import substitution. Unlike Russia, this is not due to a break with the highly developed countries, but due to the complexities of economic cooperation with Russia. While Russia has to strengthen its relations with North Korea, Turkmenistan signs an agreements with its opponents - South Korea, opening up new economic opportunities in a complex situation. "The most interesting thing is that, due to external circumstances, Turkmenistan cannot be accused of building a kind of anti-Russian policy," the expert said.
In addition to the economy, the two leaders agreed to continue cooperation in the framework of international organizations, including the UN and other organizations to maintain peace and security in the region and around the world. In the year of the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan, President Park Geun-hye appreciated Turkmenistan's foreign policy based on peace and aimed at the development of friendly relations, the Turkmen media report.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, in his turn, expressed support for the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Korea to achieve sustainable peace and security on the Korean peninsula, and forming the basis for a peaceful reunification of the two Korean states through the process of restoring trust, the Dresden initiative, the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, as well as the Eurasian initiative.
"In fact, Turkmenistan took another important step towards closer relations with the US and NATO. It is possible that Ashgabat hopes to get the so-called status of Major non-NATO ally of the US," Shohrat Kadyrov said. He noted that Japan, South Korea and some other countries have this status. It is assumed that Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova will have the same status in the near future.
"Status of Major non-NATO ally prioritizes the development of US relations with these countries, including the opportunity to participate in joint defense initiatives, the possibility of joint military research involving a number of limited counter-terrorism measures, the supply of limited types of weapons," Shohrat Kadyrov believes. According to him, it is extremely important for neutral Turkmenistan that the reception of the status is not related to the country's entry into various military units. It is also noteworthy that Pakistan and Afghanistan [under Barack Obama], already have this status, which entirely fits into the US strategy to retract Turkmenistan into the orbit of Greater Central Asia.
