On August 21, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov conducted a regular Cabinet session to consider some draft documents and discuss the topical issues of state life. First speaker, Chairperson of Mejlis A. Nurberdyeva, reported to the head of state on the national parliament’s ongoing activity aimed at upgrading the country’s legislation-legal basis and on the readiness level for the upcoming Elders’ Council session to be held on September 10 in Avaza etrap, the city of Turkmenbashi, Balkan velayat. As informed, at the August-18 ninth meeting of Mejlis (fifth convocation), consideration was given to 22 draft laws and a number of resolutions of the parliament aimed at promoting the national economy’s further all-round development, improvement of the people’s living conditions, democratization of the Turkmen society. Reporting on the Ministry’s activity, Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov focused on the ongoing preparations for an official visit by Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov to our country scheduled for August 24-25. The report also covered the preparation progress for the upcoming official visit by the President of Turkmenistan to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. In the after-report comments on the issue of Turkmen-Bulgarian relations, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has stressed the significance of the forthcoming bilateral talks which are expected to facilitate further intensification of the interest-based cooperation with the Republic of Bulgaria, and, on the whole, a well-established constructive dialogue between Turkmenistan and the EU countries. Moreover, given the two countries’ advantageous geographical location, wide interaction-favored opportunities open in the sphere of transport, including in the context of building the present-day transit-transport ramified infrastructure in the Eurasian area. In this regard, the head of state gave the Vice-Premier a number of assignments on preparing for the official visit by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria to Turkmenistan. Returning to the Turkmen-Afghani relations issue, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has highlighted that our country stands for exclusively peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan through taking concrete steps aimed to restore Afghanistan’s economy and social infrastructure. Initiated by the Turkmen party, the large-scale projects, such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, serve as a vivid illustration. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project, launched in 2013, can be cited as an eloquent example as well. The report of Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Hojamammedov covered the state of affairs in the spheres he is in charge of, and fulfillment of the commissions given earlier by President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov on improving the normative legal acts that regulate the activity of the financial-economic and banking sector. A draft Resolution on approving the Regulations on licensing the insurance activities and the Regulations on licensing professional activities on the securities market was submitted for consideration by the nation’s leader. After the report, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov stressed the importance of taking the effective measures aimed to ensure stability of the financial system and phased transition to market relations. Having approved and signed the presented draft document, the nation’s leader assigned the Vice-Premier to keep unremitting control over timely realization of the planned activities. In turn, Cabinet Deputy Chairperson M. Yazmuhammedova informed about preparations for a number of cultural measures to be held in September of the running year, including the internationally important events devoted to the national holidays and remarkable dates, as well as the ones timed to inauguration of socio-cultural facilities. In the report follow-up comments, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has emphasized that all the cultural events and international creative actions should showcase a diversity of the national art and rich cultural heritage of the Turkmen people, having given the Vice-Premier concrete the issue-associated commissions. The report of Cabinet Deputy Chairman E. Orazgeldiev was focused on the implementation progress of seasonal agri-works. As was informed, the winter wheat sowing campaign launched on August 19 is steadily picking up speed. Preparations for the upcoming cotton-harvesting campaign, including 155 “white gold” receiving centers and 39 cotton ginneries, are well underway. All in all, 3,027 trucks, 2,340 tractors and 3,558 tractor trailers for raw cotton transportation are planned to be enacted in the campaign. The Vice-Premier also reported on fulfillment of the assignments given earlier by the head of state on stepping up production of vegetable and cucurbitaceous crops, potatoes. Greenhouses are currently being built; the farms oriented for growing cucurbitaceous crops are being determined. Commenting on the report, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov gave the Vice-Premier a number of concrete instructions on ensuring the timely and high-quality winter wheat sowing campaign in compliance with all agrotechnical standards. The head of state has also demanded to thoroughly prepare for the cotton-picking campaign - to conduct it within optimum time space and without losses. Having emphasized the importance of measures taken to fully supply the population with domestically grown fruits and vegetables, potatoes, the President of Turkmenistan assigned the leaders of the agro-industrial complex to continue exercising constant control over the relevant issues. Speaking of the advisability of placing the Land Resources Service under the authority of the Cabinet of Ministers and associating other sectoral organizations, for instance the Farming Agriculture Research Institute, with the Ministry of Agriculture, the head of state instructed the Vice-Premier to study the issue and prepare the issue-related proposals. Reporting on the state of affairs in the sectors he is responsible for, Cabinet Deputy Chairman S. Toilyev focused on preparations for the forthcoming 34th meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly – the Council’s supreme governing body, to be held in Ashgabat on September 13-17. Representatives of the National Olympic Committees of the Asia-Oceania Region countries, leaders of the International Olympic Committee and the OCA are expected to take part in the meeting to be held in the capital’s Olympic Complex. Meetings of the OCA Executive and Finance Committees are also planned to be held within the framework of the forum; meetings of the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly are scheduled for September 15-16. As was reported, the cultural program intended for foreign guests would also include a get-acquainted tour of the Ashgabat Olympic Complex – the venue for the 2017 Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts. In the report follow-up comments, the head of state has highlighted extreme importance the country attaches to V Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts in Ashgabat in the light of enhancing the Motherland’s international sport prestige, as well as promoting physical culture and sports in our country, widely encouraging participation of the population, especially young people, in the sporting movement. Placing accent on the significance of the upcoming OCA General Assembly meeting in Ashgabat, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov gave the Vice-Premier a number of concrete commissions on holding the important forum at a better and higher level in terms of organization and content, and, on the whole, on timely tackling all the tasks related to preparations for the Asian Games-2017. The situation in the supervised sectors, fulfillment of the earlier presidential assignments on managing the natural gas domestic consumption procedures were in the focus of the report made by Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Hojamuhammedov. The report also included information about the ongoing work on installing gas meters all over the country and in the capital, as well as at the enterprises. Summarizing the report, the President of Turkmenistan addressed the Vice-Premier a number of specific instructions on speeding up realization of “The Turkmenistan’s Gas-and-Oil Industry Development Program for the period till 2030”, which enables to strengthen the country’s economic power, to provide quality-of-life improvements to the Turkmen people. The report of Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Ereshov was an extensive coverage of the work carried out by the “Turkmenhimiya” State Concern on production of the export-orientated carbamide. As the Vice-Premier informed, the relevant work is well under way in the country’s chemical industry aimed at producing mineral fertilizers through processing of hydrocarbons and at increasing exports of high-quality products. Concentrating on the top-priority tasks of the state’s industrial strategy, the nation’s leader demanded to analyze the industrial sector’s potential, reveal its untapped reserves and involve them in the active development of that key segment of the economy. The state of affairs in the field of transport and communications was in the center of the report made by Cabinet Deputy Chairman S. Satlykov. In particular, the Vice-Premier presented for consideration by the head of state a draft Resolution on approving the Regulations on passenger and luggage handling by motor transport. The growth of road freight and passenger transportation, as well as improvement of quality of services rendered to the population, the head of state rates among the high-priority tasks set to the country’s transport complex. President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has also focused attention on the necessity of further modernization of the sector and wide application of the most advanced transport facilities, equipment and innovative technologies. In this connection, the head of state signed the relevant document, having addressed the Vice-Premier a number of issue-associated commissions. Cabinet Deputy Chairman Sh. Durdylyev made a report on the activity of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan. The Vice-Premier informed about the working trips to Mary and Lebap velayats on August 17-18 to carry out on-the-spot inspections of roads, bridges, power plants under construction, power supply in etraps, as well as the condition of new high-voltage power transmission lines. The checks had revealed shortcomings at some state-run power plants. The report also covered the information about preparations for the “Turkmengurlushyk-2015” International Exhibition and the conference on the Turkmenistan’s construction industry development to be held on August 27-29. The exhibition will showcase a wide range of high-technology equipment intended for the construction and municipal sectors, modern building and finishing materials, special-purpose equipment for scientific institutions, schools, kindergartens, and others. After the report, the President of Turkmenistan concentrated on the issues of the Turkmen capital’s improvement in the context of preparations for V Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts to be held in 2017. Having reminded the session participants that in accordance with the special Resolution (adopted in this year’s February) aimed at improving the capital, the Vice-Premiers and Chairperson of Mejlis were placed in charge of the works ongoing in Ashgabat’s etraps, the head of state expressed dissatisfaction with the execution of his commissions. The recent checks carried out by the Supreme Control Chamber have disclosed that the works ongoing in all etraps of the capital are far from being perfect, and the shortcomings are not being eliminated in proper time, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov said, having informed that the Vice-Premiers were relieved of the duty of supervising the improvement-and-landscaping works in Ashgabat’s etraps. The head of state made Cabinet Deputy Chairman Sh. Durdylyev responsible for ensuring control over all those works under way in Ashgabat, including construction of the objects for conducting Asian Games and the capital’s improvement. By the summer of 2016, Ashgabat must fully be ready for the Asian Games; if necessary, the issue of allocating additional funds for the city’s improvement should be given consideration, the head of state said. Focusing on the progress of construction works under way in the new village of Tyazezaman, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov assigned Vice-Premier Sh. Durdylyev to get the matters under control. The village should be large and modern, meet the present-day architectural requirements therefore there is a need to build an administrative center with all necessary services, infrastructure and dwelling houses, to increase the number of its dwellers, having brought it up to the urban level. In this connection, the nation’s leader commissioned Chairperson of Mejlis A. Nurberdyeva in association with the leaders of Akhal velayat administration to explore the issue of determining the status of a new town as an administrative center of Derveze etrap and to think of its name. Then, addressing the country’s Minister of Energy G. Saryev, summoned to the Cabinet session, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov noted that his poor management of the departmental institutions and enterprises he is responsible for had led to the power failures which became more frequent over recent time and, in turn, entailed the complaints from the population, heads of institutions, enterprises, and organizations. The President of Turkmenistan voiced a decision to relieve G. Saryev of his post and appoint D. Rejepov (previous Deputy Minister of Energy) as Minister of Energy. The report of Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Manager of the Affairs Management Department of the President’s and Cabinet’s Administration P. Taganov was concentrated on the outcomes of the Turkmen-Iranian business forum. The business meeting (August 19) was attended by over 120 representatives of state organizations and the largest companies of the IRI, specializing in the field of construction and building materials production, transport-communications sector, agriculture and water economy, machine-building, oil-and-gas and chemical industries. The agenda of the forum was focused on the state and prospects of the Turkmen-Iranian cooperation further development. In the course of bilateral meetings, the participants defined practical steps towards advancing mutually advantageous partnership, and put forward concrete proposals on establishing joint enterprises and realizing new projects in different sectors of the economy. Commenting on the report, the head of state has noted with satisfaction that the trade-economic relations between Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran are progressively developing on the equal and long-term basis. Welcoming regular joint economic forums and exhibitions which give consideration to developing new joint projects aimed at strengthening fruitful cooperation, the nation’s leader addressed the Vice-Premier a number of concrete assignments. During the session, the head of state drew attention of the attendees to the importance of implementing the decisions adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers. This also refers to the issue of reducing imports of goods from abroad and starting the production of import-substituting products, the leader of nation highlighted. For example, the President of Turkmenistan continued, until now, the effective measures on saving currency resources have not been taken. Besides, as was mentioned before, imports of vegetables from foreign countries have not been reduced yet. Vice versa, the index has considerably increased lately. In particular, the number of fruit juices imported to our country is expanding. Although they practically do not differ in quality from Turkmenistan-made juices; moreover, their cost is twice as much as the domestic ones, the head of state noted. To protect the domestic market, it is necessary to raise import taxes, the President of Turkmenistan said, having emphasized that this will enable to reduce the volumes of products brought in from abroad. In this connection, the head of state assigned the Vice-Premiers to analyze the issue and prepare the relevant proposals in the space of ten days. Then, Secretary of the State Security Council, Minister of National Security Ya. Berdiev (invited to the Cabinet session) took the floor to report on the work carried out jointly with the law-enforcement agencies on working out a special plan to ensure high organizational level of large-scale celebrations of the national and international importance to be held in the country, as well as on maintaining the rule of law and order. Placing emphasis on the importance of successful tackling the tasks set in this sphere, President of Turkmenistan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the country, General of the Army Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov instructed to keep constant control over the within-said plan implementation. Some other issues of state life were considered at the Cabinet session, and the appropriate resolutions were adopted.