Turkmenbashi, August 22, AZERTAC

An expanded meeting was held between Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan on August 22 in the city of Turkmenbashi.

Greeting the Azerbaijani President and the delegation, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said:

- Thank you very much for accepting the invitation to visit our country. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the hospitality extended to me during my visit to Azerbaijan in July this year. I visited some beautiful and scenic places in Azerbaijan. Important issues were discussed during that visit.

The relations between our countries originate from the depths of history, our traditions are similar, and these are the factors that bring us together. On this basis, we are developing our political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations. We will discuss these issues during the current meeting.

Our talks today are giving impetus to our relations. During this meeting, we will review some important issues of cooperation. Our relations are rising to a high level of cooperation, and we attach great importance to their development. I would like to note the tremendous potential for the expansion of our bilateral ties. With this in mind, we will promote new initiatives to develop Turkmen-Azerbaijani relations.

The development of trade and economic cooperation is an important area on the agenda of our relations. A great deal of work has already been done in this area. We have great potential for the further development of these ties, increasing the trade turnover between our countries, expanding cooperation in such areas as energy, transport, and the textile industry.

Our ties in the cultural and humanitarian sphere represent an important area of cooperation. Their development is of priority importance for us. An important component of cooperation in this context is the holding of mutual Days of Culture, events in the fields of education, culture, tourism, the development of our cultural values – carpet weaving, horse breeding and applied arts. We have every opportunity for the cultural exchange and the development of ties in this area.

Let me convey to you greetings from the President of Turkmenistan. I am delighted to see you in Turkmenistan. We will continue our dialogue in one of the UN languages. You have the floor.

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President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said :

- Thank you, dear Gurbanguly Malikguliyevich.

My dear brother, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you once again for the invitation and hospitality. I would also like to convey my sincere greetings and love to the brotherly people of Turkmenistan. I am very pleased to be visiting the land of Turkmenistan again.

We met in Azerbaijan last month. That visit had historic significance. Our meetings, both in Baku and in the liberated lands of Karabakh, delighted the Azerbaijani people a lot. The support you have given us is very important and valuable to us. During our conversations, we always looked back at our historical roots. We share a common history, culture, ethnic roots, language and religion. The Turkmen and Azerbaijani peoples are brothers in the true sense of the word and have lived with these feelings of brotherhood for centuries. Today, they are achieving great successes as independent states. I have already told you that the development of Avaza is associated with your name – it is a product of your work. This modern and beautiful city is actually a reflection of the large-scale development taking place in Turkmenistan. I was here at your invitation three years ago, and when I arrived at the airport, I saw that there had been even greater development here. All this is the result of your activities.

As you noted, we are successfully cooperating in many areas. I am sure that there are very good prospects in all the areas you mentioned - energy, transport, logistics, transit, digitalization, and cultural relations. After your visit, a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission was held. Many issues were discussed there, excellent results were achieved, and we will discuss several issues here today.

In addition, when we look at transport opportunities, there is already new potential there – the East-West transport corridor passes through the territories of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Of course, our joint activities in this area, the steps aimed at coordination will benefit this vast geography because a reliable transport link connecting Europe with the Far East passes through the territory of our countries today. I know that a lot of work has been done in Turkmenistan – a modern seaport, airports and railways. All these projects have been implemented under your leadership, creating the most advanced infrastructure in Turkmenistan. Such infrastructure has also been created in Azerbaijan. Therefore, there is a great benefit in combining our efforts in this direction.

Of course, I do believe that our frequent meetings send very serious messages to the entire region and the world. Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are brotherly states, brotherly peoples and are always by each other's side.

Once again, I am grateful to you for the hospitality.

XXX

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings from President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and requested that his own greetings be conveyed to the Turkmen President.

During the meeting, they expressed satisfaction with the current state of political relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. They highlighted that both countries consistently support each other within international organizations and that their positions coincide on global and regional issues. Notably, Azerbaijan’s role as a co-author of the UN General Assembly resolution titled “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan” was recognized as an example of support and friendship toward Turkmenistan.

The head of state congratulated Turkmenistan on the successful hosting of the UN conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in August, noting that Azerbaijan was represented by a high-level delegation at the event.

The Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the results achieved. In response, President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude and noted that the establishment of a new transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan’s mainland to its Nakhchivan region through Armenia along the East-West corridor will enhance the transport and transit potential of both countries and contribute to the development of the entire region.

The discussion also touched on the potential of a transport corridor involving Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The importance of the trilateral Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan meeting held today was emphasized, with confidence expressed that the event would provide additional impetus to cooperation and partnership among the three brotherly nations.

Additionally, the meeting addressed the joint participation of Turkmenistan’s “Akhal-Teke” and Azerbaijan’s Karabakh horses in international festivals.