OREANDA-NEWS. June 19, 2009. The joint development by Belarus and Turkmenistan of the Garlyk potassium deposit will be a real breakthrough in the bilateral cooperation for years to come, said President Alexander Lukashenko during the burial of a time capsule beneath the foundations of the new ore dressing plant in the village of Garlyk in Turkmenistan, reported the Official website president.gov.by.

‘We are breaking ground for an entirely new type of industry for the economy of Turkmenistan, mining. Also, it is my pleasure to note that we are partaking in this celebration not simply as guests of honour but as actual participants of a big enterprise, a large-scale investment project,’ said Alexander Lukashenko.

According to the Head of State, Belarus is ready to develop several more deposits in Turkmenistan by employing the latest technologies and adhering rigidly to the labour protection and sustainability requirements of this country.

On the previous day the presidents agreed that Belarus would be Turkmenistan’s main partner in implementing the ambitious turnkey ore dressing plant project in the village of Garlyk to develop the local potassium deposit.

The first stage of the project provides for the development of the mine and construction of a factory for producing potash fertilizers with the annual capacity of up to 500,000 tons. Once two more deposits are developed, the capacity will be expanded to 4.5 million tons.

Belarus deems this project highly promising for building up Turkmenistan’s export potential, said Alexander Lukashenko. Yet Belarus does not view Turkmenistan as a potential competitor, rather as an utterly reliable partner.