President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in his message to the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe said that Turkmenistan sees Japan as a reliable strategic partner, Trend reports with reference to the letter published in local media.

The head of Turkmenistan said that he would visit Japan to participate in the festivities on the occasion of the ascension to the throne of Emperor Naruhito. This ceremony will take place in the fall, according to preliminary information.

"Our countries invariably demonstrate a mutual desire to increase productive cooperation in a wide range of areas on a long-term basis," the letter said.

This is confirmed by the effective activities of the leading Japanese companies in the Turkmen market, their participation in the implementation of large infrastructure projects carried out in the context of the course taken by Turkmenistan to industrialize and diversify the national economy, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov wrote.

The head of state expressed the hope that bilateral cooperation would be strengthened and expanded in every possible way, including through the implementation of new joint projects.

The key areas of interaction are industrial sectors, in particular, gas and petrochemicals, the transport and communications sector, agriculture, and the introduction of advanced technologies.

The impulse to business relations with Japan was given by the official visit of Shinzo Abe to Turkmenistan in October 2015, when agreements on a number of investment projects worth $18 billion were reached.

Several major projects have already been implemented with the participation of Japanese companies. Among them are the ammonia and carbamide production complex in the Mary region, the carbamide plant and the polymer complex in the Balkan region, and an enterprise producing gasoline from natural gas in the Ahal region.

Turkmenistan, occupying one of the key positions in the region for the supply of natural gas, has been actively diversifying the economy in recent years. Japan is showing interest in participating in projects to develop the industrial infrastructure of Turkmenistan’s largest gas field, Galkynysh.