Turkmenistan president to visit Indonesia

Turkmenistan president to visit Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP: Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov is
slated to visit Indonesia next week. One Indonesian official sees
it as an opportunity for Indonesia to open up a new market for
its exports in the Central Asian country.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said that Niyazov's June 1-
3 visit at President Soeharto's invitation is intended chiefly to
explore cooperation in economic, trade, culture and science and
technology.

Moerdiono said there is an opportunity for Indonesian products
to gain entry to the former Soviet republic through Iran.

Turkmenistan, which is now part of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS), has a population of four million
people, 90 percent of which are followers of Islam. Its chief
exports include oil, natural gas, cotton and various seeds.

Moerdiono said Niyazov will be accompanied by several members
of his cabinet, including a deputy prime minister, the foreign
minister, trade minister and agriculture minister. (emb)