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TURKMEN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH RUSSIAN TELECOM EXECUTIVE. RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 9, No. 188, Part I, 5 October 2005 TurkmenPresident Saparmurat Niyazov welcomed on 4 October a senior executiveof a leading Russian telecommunications firm to Ashgabat to discuss apossible investment in Turkmenistan, according to Turkmen TV. Niyazovand senior Turkmen officials met with MTS President Valerii Sidorovand reviewed the company's planed investment in the Turkmencellular-phone and telecommunications sectors. The investment, to befinanced by Russia's Rosbank, aims to expand Turkmenistan's cellularmarket from its current level of 50,000 subscribers, to between250,000-300,000 mobile-phone users. RG