Russian, Ukrainian Presidents Off to Turkmenistan

The leaders of Russia and Ukraine are to visit Ashgabat in September, the state news agency Turkmenistan reports.



President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov invited Dmitriy Medvedev and Viktor Yuschenko to visit when he spoke to them by phone earlier this month.



Medvedev’s visit is expected to coincide with the final day of the Silk Road 2009 rally, which will see cars race through Russia, Kazakstan and Turkmenistan between September 5 and 13.



Yuschenko, meanwhile, will attend the opening ceremony of a railway bridge across the Amu Darya river, which is being built by Ukrainian construction workers.



Since Turkmenistan is a major exporter of gas to both countries, energy is likely to top the agenda of both sets of talks.