President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received on Monday Vice President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for South, Central, and West Asia, Shixin Chen, during his official visit to the country, according to Turkmenistan’s state news agency.

The ADB official expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet and emphasized the bank’s strong interest in expanding cooperation with Turkmenistan, noting the country’s steady economic growth.

President Berdimuhamedov welcomed the guest and expressed confidence that the meetings planned within the framework of the visit would contribute to strengthening bilateral economic ties. He also wished the delegation successful and productive negotiations.

The president highlighted the Memorandum of Understanding signed in May between the State Committee for the Construction of the City of Arkadag under the President of Turkmenistan and the ADB. He said the agreement is expected to give a significant boost to the development of their partnership.

Berdimuhamedov also stressed the importance of enhancing financial and consulting services to support small and medium-sized enterprises. He underscored the need for increased collaboration between the ADB and Turkmen banks to help develop the private sector.

Concluding the meeting, the president reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation with the international financial institution and wished Shixin Chen success in his work.