TASHKENT, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held talks on Thursday to discuss expanding cooperation, especially in the energy sector, between the two neighboring Central Asian countries, the Uzbek president's press service said.
The Uzbek side expressed interest "in expanding cooperation in the energy sector, including the supply of electricity, gas and oil products from Turkmenistan," it said in a statement.
According to the statement, the Turkmen side also proposed diversifying and increasing trade relations, and developing industrial cooperation.
"Among the specific industries where our countries have great potential, we single out the agro-industrial complex, energy, chemical and petrochemical industries, engineering, textiles and pharmaceuticals," Berdimuhamedov was quoted as saying.
The leaders noted that the decisions taken on the creation of the Uzbek-Turkmen border trade zone and the opening of trading houses in both capital cities will contribute to maintaining positive dynamics and doubling the volume of trade in the coming years, the statement said.
According to the Uzbek Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, investment and trade agreements totaling 451 million U.S. dollars were signed during the Uzbek-Turkmen interregional business forum held in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, on Wednesday. ■