CA-NEWS (TM) - Ashgabat has hosted talks with heads of companies and government agencies from Austria and Turkmenistan, an official Turkmen source said.

The talks covered the fuel and energy industry, including alternative energy, trade, tourism, telecommunications and communications, construction, the supply of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and the food industry.

Austrian companies interested in the Turkmen market include Agrosolution, Bertsch-Laska Produktions und Handels GmbH, Golden Age, Unger Stahlbau, MBM, SONAG Industrie U.- Finanzholding AG, Kubermed and others.

Twelve Austrian businesses currently operate in Turkmenistan, and more than 20 investment projects are underway.

Areas for further Austro-Turkmen cooperation include the chemical industry, motor industry, maritime navigation, agriculture, information technologies, engineering industry, production of construction materials and mineral fertilizers.

Increased trade links and broadening the range of goods traded between Austria and Turkmenistan were also discussed in Ashgabat.

A visit by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to Austria in 2008 boosted bilateral relations between Vienna and Ashgabat.