Official welcoming ceremony for Turkmen President held at Presidential Palace

At the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan arrived in Armenia on official visit later yesterday.

An official welcoming ceremony for the President of Turkmenistan was held today at RA President’s Residence, after which the two Heads of State held private talks.

“Dear Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, I warmly welcome you to Armenia. The Armenian-Turkmen relations are friendly and multilayered. I am very glad that you are in Armenia today. Your visit is a significant event as it takes place on the eve of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries.

This is a good opportunity to sum up the results and outline our future work. Turkmenistan is a reliable partner, and we are keen to upgrade our bilateral relations, for which there are all the necessary prerequisites.

We are actively communicating and I am very glad that today we have the opportunity to speak about our future plans. You are welcome. I am happy to see you here and, of course, I convey warm greetings to the friendly people of Turkmenistan, " the President of Armenia said.

“Mr President, thank you for your kind remarks. On behalf of my delegation, I would also like to thank you for hospitality. You were right to note that this year, or to be precise, on October 9 we are marking the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries.

I wish to say that a lot has been done during all these years in terms of boosting the political, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian ties. As you rightfully noted, the most important thing is that my visit may catalyze our cooperation and open up new opportunities and prospects for developing relationships. Of course, all this is for the welfare of our peoples. I would also like to highlight your commitment to promoting foreign policy issues, for which we are grateful to you.

You have constantly supported our neutrality status. The challenges we have addressed on international platforms are common issues, of course, such as the promotion of stability and security throughout the world, energy security, development of sustainable cross-border transportations and transport corridors, especially considering that corresponding resolutions have been passed by the United Nations, will be raised before other authoritative international organizations - OSCE, CIS and others. That is why we are doing our best to hold consultations on these issues between our foreign ministries, and we do believe that they should be continued ahead.

Turkmenistan boasts serious potential in the fields of trade and economy. Armenia, too, has that potential. I think we can use it in different directions. Indeed, these issues are first of all related to trade, energy, agriculture, textile industry, healthcare, as well as many other issues.

It seems to be obvious that the main burden rests on the shoulders of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, which should be the main coordinator of our joint efforts.
We have many shared concerns in the humanitarian sphere. Our relationship dates back to the Middle Ages. It is gratifying to see that we continue along this path setting an example for the future generations in our countries.

I would like to once again express gratitude to you for the invitation. Availing myself of the opportunity, I wish every success to your State, as well as prosperity and all the best to the people of the Republic of Armenia,” President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated.