Turkmenistan, Cuba mull mutual co-op opportunities

By Trend

A meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba in Turkmenistan (with residence in Baku, Azerbaijan) Alfredo Nieves Portuondo was held in Turkmenistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry on Nov. 18, Trend reports referring to the ministry.

During the meeting that was held in warm and friendly atmosphere, the parties discussed the current state of affairs of Turkmen-Cuban relations in political-diplomatic, economic and humanitarian fields. The parties discussed the collaboration in the framework of international organizations and the necessity of intensifying cooperation between the external policy agencies of two countries.

Stating the vital role of the positive neutrality policy of Turkmenistan, the Cuban ambassador expressed his hope for further development of mutually beneficial ties between the two countries. The opportunities of cooperation in the spheres of healthcare, agriculture, sport, tourism and other sectors were considered.

The parties agreed to continue active collaboration for the development of bilateral relations.

In recent years, Turkmenistan has intensified cooperation with Latin American states. In 2009, President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez paid a visit to Ashgabat. As part of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development "RIO+20", which was held in June 2012 in Brazil, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with Chairman of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Raul Castro. As noted, the Cuban leader "highly appreciated the peacekeeping policy of Turkmenistan based on the principles of positive neutrality, which has become an important factor of stability in the Central Asian region".