Today, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has received Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Government Chief of Staff Konstantin Chuychenko and Gazprom’s CEO Alexey Miller.
Appreciative of the audience, the guests conveyed warm greetings to the head of state from President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who had sent their wishes for prosperity to the entire nation.
As noted, Russia highly values the friendly relations with Turkmenistan, while attaching considerable importance to deepening interstate interaction.Grateful for the kind words, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov highlighted the all-round development of multifaceted relations with the Russian Federation among top priorities of our country’s foreign policy.
Extending his best wishes to the Russian Federation’s leadership, the head of Turkmenistan noted with satisfaction a progressive, productive and long-term character of interstate dialogue in the interests of the two neighboring nations.
During the meeting, held in a businesslike, constructive atmosphere, the Turkmen leader and the Russian Prime Minister exchanged opinions on the current status and prospects of cooperation, having emphasized the vast potential available in main areas, including in the trade-economic, agricultural, transport and communications, high-technology sectors, and others.
The parties stressed that regular contacts at the interstate, intergovernmental and other levels effectively contribute to unlocking the potential and creating possibilities for identifying much-needed forms of cooperation, given present-day realities and plans for the future.
Russia is one of our country’s biggest foreign trade partners, and its business circles evince great interest in the Turkmen market with its favorable investment climate.Several important projects have been by now implemented in various fields jointly with well- known Russian companies, which are actively working in Turkmenistan; there are good prerequisites for enhancing and diversifying the cooperation.
In this context, the Interstate Turkmen-Russian Commission, which has acquired a reputation as an effective mechanism for tackling a series of tasks aimed to implement the agreements reached and develop optimal approaches to partnership issues.
Developing relations between Turkmenistan and constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including with the Astrakhan Region, as well as other regions are a notable example of successful interstate cooperation.
Among the key areas of bilateral cooperation is the oil and gas sector, strategically important for the two countries, which are the world’s leading power-producing countries with enormous hydrocarbon reserves.
In this connection, the parties discussed various issues concerning the implementation of the current Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan on cooperation in the gas sector until 2028, including the restart of Turkmen gas purchases from January 1, 2019.
As noted, meaningful negotiations are well underway between Gazprom and Turkmen partners, which are expected to culminate in concrete agreements in the near future.The Russian side confirmed the Russian holding company’s in implementing joint projects in the field of gas processing and the gas chemical sector’s development, etc.
The parties gave consideration to the intensification of interstate relations in the cultural-humanitarian sphere, including in science and education.The A.S Pushkin Turkmen-Russian Secondary School and the State Russian Drama Theater (also named after the outstanding Russian poet) are seen as a unique symbol of friendship between the two brotherly nations, which are closely bounded up together with historical and spiritual commonality.
The discussions also centered on prospects for promoting Turkmen-Russian sporting cooperation.As an eloquent example, the parties named the School Cultural and Sports Festival of the Caspian Littoral States in the Avaza National Tourist Zone, in which teams from the Russian Federation, particularly the Astrakhan Region, had participated in together with children from other countries.
Closing the meeting President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Konstantin Chuychenko reconfirmed the two countries’ commitment to strengthening the traditional Turkmen-Russian relations, advancing bilateral cooperation on the basis of equity, mutual trust and respect for reciprocal interests, having exchanged best wishes for the fraternal nations.
The meeting was also attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Turkmenistan A.Blokhin.