Baku, June 22, AZERTAC

On June 22, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held an expanded meeting with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

Expressing his gratitude to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov for his state visit to Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev stated that he attaches great importance to the visit and is confident that it will serve to strengthen the friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries.

Highlighting the broad agenda covering all areas of mutual cooperation, President Ilham Aliyev noted that discussions on a wide range of issues had already taken place and that talks would continue with the participation of the delegations. He also emphasized that the President of Turkmenistan is visiting Azerbaijan with a large delegation and expressed confidence that members of the Turkmen delegation would hold productive meetings with their Azerbaijani counterparts.

President Ilham Aliyev also underlined the importance of the documents to be signed between the two countries, describing them as an indicator of the wide scope of bilateral relations.

Thanking Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Turkmenistan for the decision to gift a mosque to the city of Fuzuli, the head of state recalled that the relevant initiative was put forward during Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Azerbaijan last year, and that the foundation of the mosque was laid within the framework of the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Gabala. President Ilham Aliyev described the gesture as yet another manifestation of the sincere brotherly relations between the two countries.

Expressing gratitude for the hospitality shown to Azerbaijani creative teams during the Days of Azerbaijani Culture in Turkmenistan, the head of state noted that the Days of Turkmen Culture were held in Azerbaijan last year and emphasized that such dynamic cooperation in the humanitarian sphere is natural, as the two peoples are united by a common history, which also serves as an important factor in mutual cooperation.

Emphasizing that transport and energy security are currently among the key issues on the global agenda, the head of state noted that both Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan play an important role — both nationally and through joint initiatives — not only in the region but also on a global scale, and that this role will continue to grow in the future. In this regard, President Ilham Aliyev stated that the positive development of geopolitical processes across the vast Eurasian continent will largely depend on close cooperation in these areas.

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Speaking at the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome, the hospitality extended, and the invitation to pay a state visit to Azerbaijan.

Emphasizing that close ties have been established between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan in political, diplomatic, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian, and other spheres, and that high-level contacts and mutual visits play an important role in the successful development of bilateral relations, Serdar Berdimuhamedov recalled the visits of the National Leader of the Turkmen people to Azerbaijan and President Ilham Aliyev to Turkmenistan last year, noting that these meetings set new directions for the advancement of political dialogue, economic partnership, and humanitarian cooperation.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov highlighted the importance of cooperation on the international arena, as well as within the framework of the UN, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Organization of Turkic States, and the CIS. Expressing high appreciation for Azerbaijan's support for Turkmenistan's neutral foreign policy course and its international initiatives aimed at peace and sustainable development, Serdar Berdimuhamedov also noted that Turkmenistan, in turn, supports the internationally significant initiatives of Azerbaijan and stated that this tradition would continue in the future.

Touching upon cooperation related to the Caspian Sea, the President of Turkmenistan emphasized that joint activity in the fields of security, economy, ecology, and environmental protection is of vital importance to both countries. In this regard, he stated that Turkmenistan has put forward an initiative to hold a high-level meeting on Caspian Sea issues and also counts on Azerbaijan's support in promoting the Caspian environmental initiative.

The President noted that trade and economic cooperation is one of the key areas of bilateral relations and highly appreciated the positive dynamics in trade turnover. The Turkmen President touched upon the necessity of stepping up the work of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in order to realize the existing potential between the two countries more effectively.

Evaluating the transport and transit sector as one of the strategic directions of cooperation, Serdar Berdimuhamedov said that the advantageous geographical locations of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan create important advantages for the development of international transport corridors. To this end, he proposed further stepping up the efforts of the Turkmen-Azerbaijani Commission on Transport, Transit and Logistics.

Hailing the Afghanistan–Turkmenistan–Azerbaijan–Georgia–Türkiye transport corridor as a successful example of cooperation, Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the two countries also support the initiative to establish the Caspian Sea–Black Sea transport corridor along the Turkmenistan–Azerbaijan–Georgia–Romania route. Berdimuhamedov added that connecting the Caspian and Black Sea regions opens up good opportunities for the expansion of economic, trade, and investment cooperation.

The President of Turkmenistan also emphasized the existence of ample opportunities for developing cooperation in the oil and gas sector, the chemical industry, the textile industry, and other areas. Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed that active interaction between both nations continues in the fields of education, science, culture, and the arts. In this regard, he noted that the regular organization of mutual Culture Days, festivals, exhibitions, and other events contributes to the strengthening of friendly and brotherly relations between the two peoples.

The Turkmen President also touched upon one of the important spiritual projects currently being implemented – the construction of a mosque in Fuzuli – noting that this initiative is a symbol of friendship and brotherhood between both countries.

The President of Turkmenistan expressed his conviction that his visit would become an important milestone in strengthening friendship and cooperation, and wished the Azerbaijani leader new successes in his activities, and peace, progress, and prosperity to the brotherly people of Azerbaijan.