Turkmenistan aims to develop long-term partnership ties with Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 2 Trend: Turkmenistan is committed to develop long-term partnership ties with Azerbaijan on an equal and mutually beneficial basis in the best traditions of centuries-old friendship and good-neighborliness, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said. President Berdimuhamedov made the remarks at a meeting with Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister, ADA University's Rector, Ambassador Hafiz Pashayev, Turkmen state news agency TDH said Sept. 2. Azerbaijani deputy FM conveyed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's warm greetings to President Berdimuhamedov, as well as Azerbaijani president's wishes for happiness, peace and prosperity to the Turkmen people and its leader, according to the report. Turkmen president, for his part, communicated his best wishes to the leadership and people of Azerbaijan. During an exchange of views on the current state and prospects of further developing the Turkmen-Azerbaijani dialogue, President Berdimuhamedov and Deputy FM Pashayev noted with satisfaction the last few years' tendency towards convergence of national interests. They also underscored a significant strengthening of trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian ties, as well as enhancement of cooperation in the sectors of energy and fuel, transport and communication, TDH said. The discussions' special topic was the possibility of cooperating in the education sector. Pashayev attended the opening ceremony of the International University of Humanities and Development in Ashgabat September 2. He expressed confidence that taking into account the Turkmen president's great attention to improve the national education system, a new generation of citizens will have very good opportunities to get education of an international level. It was stressed during the meeting that the existing constructive dialogue was achieved solely through the trusting relations, based on mutual respect between the two presidents. They fully support for intensifying and expanding the inter-state relations in all areas, as well as Turkmenistan's and Azerbaijan's full understanding of key issues of cooperation, successfully established multilaterally, as well as within international organizations. It was stressed that being neighbors in the Caspian region, the countries are strategic partners in the search for the most appropriate ways to resolve current relevant issues. The most important of them is to ensure global energy security. In the end of the meeting, Pashayev admired the beauty of Ashgabat, which he visited for the first time, and heartily wished friendly Turkmen people prosperity, happiness and new achievements in the implementation of ambitious plans and reforms, according to the statement. Azerbaijani Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Turkmenistan Vahdet Sultanzadeh attended the meeting. Follow us on Twitter @TRENDNewsAgency