Russia, Turkmenistan Sign 25-year Gas Cooperation Agreement

Vladimir Putin and Saparmurat Niyazov, the presidents of Russia and Turkmenistan, have summed up the results of their Kremlin talks by signing a 25-year Agreement on Cooperation in the Gas Sphere.

Apart from that, Niyazov and Gazprom head Alexei Miller signed a 25-year contract for Turkmen gas deliveries to Russia.

Earlier during the talks, Putin told Niyazov that "many useful and pleasant things" had been happening in the two countries' economies lately.

He observed that friendliness, cooperation and businesslike character of cooperation were "a characteristic trait of the Russian-Turkmen relationship." He went on to say that Russia attached great importance not only to economic cooperation but also to cooperation in other spheres, adding that he hoped Niyazov's visit to Moscow would be a "good incentive" to contacts in all spheres of activity.