Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday after arriving in Turkmenistan that he hoped talks with his Turkmen counterpart would be productive.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov met Medvedev at the airport in Turkmenbashi when the Russian leader arrived for his two-day visit on Thursday. The two leaders will hold official talks on Friday to discuss energy and trade cooperation.
"I am convinced the visit will be interesting and productive," the Russian president said.
"It is always a great joy for me to come to see you. It is always a good opportunity to discuss our business and exchange opinions on how to build friendly relations between Russia and Turkmenistan," he said.
This is Medvedev's fourth trip to Turkmenistan. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko.
Russia, along with China and Iran, is a major consumer of Turkmen gas. The Central Asia - Center gas pipeline, which runs from Turkmenistan to Russia via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is controlled by Russia's energy giant Gazprom.
Last week the Russian independent oil and gas producer Itera put into operation a $176 million natural gas pipeline in Turkmenistan.
Russian-Turkmen trade turnover, excluding gas deliveries, exceeded $1 billion in 2009.
Turkmenbashi, which was known as Krasnovodsk before it was renamed after the country's previous leader, is located on the shore of the Caspian Sea, 650 kilometers (400 miles) from the capital, Ashgabat.
TURKMENBASHI, October 21 (RIA Novosti)
