KIEV, Oct. 11 - Energy and Fuel Minister Ivan Plachkov and chairman of the national energy company Naftogaz Ukrayiny Oleksiy Ivchenko left for Turkmenistan Tuesday for natural gas talks, the government??™s press service reported.

Plachkov and Ivchenko will meet President Separmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan for the talks. President Viktor Yushchenko met Plachkov Monday to personally instruct him ahead of the talks, highlighting importance of the visit, the press service said.