Ashgabat, November 28, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has arrived in Turkmenistan for a visit to attend the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

A guard of honor was lined up for President Ilham Aliyev at Ashgabat International Airport decorated with the national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

President Ilham Aliyev was welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Sapardurdu Toyliyev.

A meeting then was held between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Welcoming the President of Azerbaijan, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said:

- Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, we are glad to welcome you to brotherly Turkmenistan and express our gratitude for your respect in accepting our invitation. We will jointly participate in the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization. To begin with, I want to point to some significant dates. First of all, 28 November is the day of our Organization. Secondly, I would like to say that during our chairmanship, a resolution was adopted that enhanced the authority of this organization. Therefore, I think we will have a good opportunity to discuss our economic issues again, especially during the pandemic. I mean the issues of cooperation and integration.

Then, frankly, I received a very surprising piece of news today. We are rarely surprised, but the news was quite surprising. Today I was presented with a resolution of the Council of Foreign Ministers. This document was adopted in Ashgabat by consensus. You know, there are good items in it, sentences about Azerbaijan winning a convincing victory. I may be slightly inaccurate or incorrect, but the point is that Azerbaijan has really succeeded in restoring the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. I just want to say that the adoption of this resolution by consensus is a bright page in our relations. I heartily congratulate you on this occasion.

There are several issues on our agenda. The first is the approval of the agenda of the next summit, the second is the election of the Secretary General, the third is who will host the next summit and the adoption of the final communiqué of the Ashgabat summit. I congratulate you on the occasion of Victory, on this historic event. As always, welcome to Ashgabat.

President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Thank you, dear Gurbanguly Malikguliyevich. First of all, I would like to thank you once again for the invitation to visit brotherly Turkmenistan. Our participation in this summit confirms our commitment to the principles of our organization.

When I flew here from Baku, I saw a beautiful panorama, planted fields, well-developed neighborhoods and settlements. Of course, Ashgabat amazes its visitors with its beauty and grandeur from the first minutes. As you may know, I have visited your country many times and have always expressed my admiration for the achievements of your leadership in the socioeconomic development of your country, as well as the landscaping and urban infrastructure. I remember, in our last meeting, becoming acquainted with your sports camp, perhaps even a sports city. At that time, you successfully hosted the Asian Games. This shows that the state is moving forward with confidence, based on its strength, traditions and talent of the Turkmen people. This makes us very happy.

Of course, I would like to thank you, as the country chairing the Economic Cooperation Organization, for your active role in the adoption of this resolution. We appreciate it very much. The resolution notes that member states congratulate Azerbaijan on the restoration of its territorial integrity. You know, this is a historic event for the people of Azerbaijan, and, of course, all the people of Azerbaijan will see the fraternal attitude of the president and all other members in this resolution. Therefore, this is a very important event indeed. It is very gratifying that this event is being held for the Azerbaijanis in the brotherly land of Turkmenistan. Of course, today we will also talk about our bilateral agenda. We have good results here, and we will continue to move forward shoulder to shoulder as brothers. Thank you again.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov: You know, I would like to emphasize another issue. In any case, the adoption of this resolution in Ashgabat is a historic event. We are the only neutral country and the resolution has been adopted in a neutral country. We are brotherly countries, neighbors, but more importantly, the resolution was adopted at the international level. This political event needs to be developed. As they say, we should strike while the iron is hot. Thank you.

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Following the meeting, an official welcome ceremony was held for President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

State anthems of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan were played.

The heads of state reviewed the guard of honor.