Turkmen leader names Azerbaijan 'friend and reliable partner'

"We consider Azerbaijan our sincere friend and reliable partner, our associate in solving many pressing issues of regional and global policy and attach great importance to the development of traditionally friendly Turkmen-Azerbaijani relations," President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at the meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyyubov.

Yaqub Eyyubov conveyed warm greetings from the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the people of Turkmenistan. President of Turkmenistan also conveyed best wishes to the Head of the Azerbaijani state, stressing that the two peoples enjoy friendly relations based on mutual respect, equality and a common desire for progress and development.

"High level of trust and understanding are inherent in the Turkmen-Azerbaijani dialogue, and this is a solid foundation for steady development of bilateral cooperation and cooperation within international organizations," said Turkmen leader.

During the meeting the sides discussed the priority aspects of bilateral cooperation, which opens up most favourable opportunities to develop productive interaction in the bilateral format and within the framework of the authoritative international organizations, including the CIS.

"For several years, Turkmenistan and its partners in the region are actively involved in implementation of major projects to optimize traffic flow in the Eurasian space. Their effective use can give a powerful impetus to economic and trade relations on a continental scale," said Berdymukhamedov, expressing hope that the development of the UN Special Programme for Transport Development, providing for the study of transit-transport capacity between the Caspian and the Black Sea, Central Asia and Middle East will be an important factor in achieving sustainable development throughout the region.

The sides also discussed issues of interstate cooperation in the environmental field, in particular, in promotion of Turkmenistan's initiative on the establishment of a specialized structure – UN Interregional Center for to address climate change and the deployment of its headquarters in Ashgabat.

The sides expressed confidence that relations between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan will continue to develop in the best traditions of friendship for common good. Azerbaijan can become an important transit country for rich in natural gas Turkmenistan.


/AzerTAc/