On July 16, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a one-on-one meeting with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan.
President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Chairman Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The Azerbaijani President and the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan posed together for photographs.
Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– Dear Gurbanguly Malikgulyyevich,
Welcome to Azerbaijan. I extend my sincere greetings to you. I am confident that your visit will make a significant contribution to the development of the brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Our peoples are bound together by deep-rooted fraternal traditions, which have grown even stronger during the years of independence. We enjoy successful cooperation across numerous areas, and both our countries pursue independent policies with a confident outlook toward the future. The historical ties between us form the foundation of our current relations, and I am certain that your visit will provide new impetus to our partnership. We have achieved significant progress in political, economic, humanitarian, and other spheres, including transport and energy, and, of course, today we will exchange views on future cooperation.
Dear brother, once again, welcome to Azerbaijan.
X X X
Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said:
– Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,
Dear members of the delegations,
First of all, please let me sincerely thank you for the invitation to visit Azerbaijan and for the hospitality and cordiality shown to us.
I also have the honor to convey to you warm greetings and best wishes from His Excellency, President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
My current visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan has the primary goal of further strengthening and developing bilateral relations, consolidating the milestones achieved, and providing incentives for the implementation of new projects and directions.
In general, if we were to characterize the current level of Turkmen-Azerbaijani interstate relations, I would define them in three words: brotherhood, good neighborliness, and cooperation.
We rely on a solid historical foundation, the commonality and kinship of our two peoples, mutual understanding of the need for each other, a clear vision of the strategic prospects for partnership, and a willingness to use our combined political, economic, and resource potential for the benefit of our peoples and states, their well-being, and prosperity.
It is natural that Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan today have a solid and broad agenda for cooperation – in foreign policy, economics, culture, and humanitarian affairs. Thanks to the efforts of both sides, our interaction is distinguished by consistency and specificity; it is stable, sustainable, and shows good dynamics. The key decisive factor in this is the highest level of mutual understanding and trust achieved between the leaders of our countries. This allows us the opportunity to make the right and timely decisions on all issues of bilateral cooperation and ensure the implementation of the agreements reached.
In the sphere of foreign policy, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan act from principled and firm positions based on adherence to the UN Charter and recognized international legal norms. Our countries are making an important contribution to maintaining stability and security in the world and on the continent, in regional issues, and in the Caspian Sea.
We successfully and effectively cooperate in major international organizations, primarily in the UN and in a number of regional structures. In this regard, I would like to congratulate Azerbaijan on the recent successful hosting of the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization in the city of Khankendi.
Trade and economic partnership is developing successfully; its qualitative and quantitative indicators are growing.
Traditional ties in culture, science, and education, as well as those on a personal human level, are expanding.
The importance and role of inter-parliamentary cooperation and public diplomacy as the most important elements of interstate relations are growing.
I am confident that this visit will become an important factor in bringing Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan closer together and in the development of coordinated approaches in the context of implementing a long-term cooperation strategy.
Once again, thank you, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, for the warm welcome we always feel on the land of brotherly Azerbaijan.