PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF IRAN DISCUSS PRIORITIES OF COOPERATION

President if Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Expressing gratitude for a cordial welcome, the guest conveyed the greetings to the President of Turkmenistan on behalf of IRI President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei, who once again confirmed the interest in developing bilateral cooperation.

Conveying the best wishes to the leaders of Iran, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the interstate dialogue, bounded with the ties of friendship and good neighbourliness was filled with the new content. The President of Turkmenistan noted that implementing the foreign-policy course, based on the principles of positive neutrality, Turkmenistan paid particular attention to the development of fruitful relations with the neighbouring states, including Iran. In this regard, the potential for widening the efficient partnership in various spheres was underlined.

During the meeting, the Turkmen leader and his guest exchanged the views on the prospects of the interstate partnership. In this context, the role of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian commission on economic cooperation as an efficient mechanism to diversify bilateral relations was emphasized.

The President of Turkmenistan and the IRI Minister of Foreign Affairs exchanged views on the status and the opportunities for cooperation in the key areas, including transport and communication.

The head of state and his guest also discussed the prospects for cooperation in the fuel and energy sector, opening up wide opportunities given the favorable geographical position of our countries and a huge resource potential.

One of the topics for discussion was cooperation in the Caspian Sea. In this context, the guest stressed the importance of the initiatives put forward by the President of Turkmenistan at the Vth Summit of the Heads of the Caspian littoral states, held in Aktau in August 2018.

“Steadily implementing the foreign policy based on the principles of positive neutrality, good neighborliness and equal cooperation built on the balance of national and common interests, our country supports the development of constructive partnership in the Caspian Sea, both in the bilateral and multilateral format”, the head of Turkmenistan said.

Speaking about the significance of the upcoming I Caspian Economic Forum, which will be held in the Avaza National tourism zone on August 12, 2019, the Turkmen leader noted that the Forum would facilitate an exchange of views on the implementation of the Agreement between the Governments of the Caspian states on trade and economic cooperation, signed on the outcomes of the V Summit of the heads of the Caspian states.

Special emphasis was placed on the aspects of building up bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere. In this regard, it was noted that our peoples were bounded with the historical, spiritual and cultural affinity, the centuries-old traditions of good-neighborliness.

At the end of the meeting, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed confidence in the ongoing development of the Turkmen-Iranian cooperation that meets the interests of the peoples of the two countries.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Turkmenistan Seyed Mohammad Ahmadi attended the meeting.