OREANDA-NEWS. April 09, 2010. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Paolo Scaroni, CEO of the largest Italian oil company ENI at the Serdar official residence.

Expressing gratitude for the opportunity of a personal meeting the guest conveyed the heartfelt greetings of Prime Minister of the Italian Republic Silvio Berlusconi, who had the cordial memories of the meeting with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who had paid the first official visit to Italy last November.

Thanking for the kind words, the President underscored the special significance attached to the development of the Turkmen-Italian dialogue, which had received a strong impetus to develop in recent years, and invited the head of the Government of Italy to visit Turkmenistan at any convenient time. The national leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that the well-known Italian companies, with which the constructive dialogue had been established, were always welcome in Turkmenistan.

Emphasizing the interest shown by the business circles of Italy and the European countries as a whole in establishing mutually advantageous cooperation with Turkmenistan as a country with the profound energy potential, the guest said that this interest was conditioned to a larger extent by successful intergovernmental relations and the open door policy pursued by the Turkmen leader and the favourable investment climate in the country.

The leader of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that implementing the comprehensive programme of modernization of the national fuel and energy sector and diversification of transit of energy to world markets, Turkmenistan sought to adopt scientific and technological advances and develop cooperation with largest foreign consortiums including the Italian ENI, which successfully operated in 70 countries all over the world.

In this regard the Turkmen leader and the CEO of ENI focused on the significant importance of the Memorandum of Understanding between ENI and the State Agency for Hydrocarbon Resources Management and Use under the President of Turkmenistan, which provided for conducting a series of surveys aimed at increasing hydrocarbon production by the largest Italian oil and gas concern in collaboration with the government agencies of Turkmenistan and opening the training centre for advanced training of Turkmen and oil and gas industry workers.

Thanking the Turkmen leader for taking the constructive, businesslike approach to cooperation, Paolo Scaroni expressed the readiness of his company to further actively collaborate in large-scale projects offered by Turkmenistan.