Vice Foreign Minister Cho Jung-pyo visited Turkmenistan from January 22 to 25 to have bilateral talks with his Turkmenian counterpart Vepa Hadjiyev.

Vice Minister Cho also met with Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov along with three Deputy Prime Ministers and two Ministers from Ministries of Energy and Resources, Economy and Construction, and Transportation and Communication. He had intensive discussions on ways to promote cooperation between Korea and Turkmenistan in areas of politics, economy, culture, energy and resources. The two sides also discussed ways to vitalize the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum that launched in November 2007.
 
During his visit to Turkmenistan, Vice Minister Cho attended the opening ceremony of the Korean Embassy in Ashkhabad. With this opening, the Embassy started its official functions as a full diplomatic mission. The opening of the Korean Embassy in Turkmenistan is the third one established in Central Asia, following those in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The setup of the Embassy in Turkmenistan serves as an important milestone for the two countries to increase bilateral cooperation in various areas including energy and resources, politics, economy and culture, as well as people-to-people exchanges.

Vice Minister Cho's visit to Turkmenistan this time is expected to serve as an opportunity to further promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy and natural resources and to attain Turkmenian government's attention and support for the Korean companies operating in the country.