PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN RECEIVES CREDENTIALS FROM THE AMBASSADOR OF AFGHANISTAN

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received credentials from newly-appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Turkmenistan Najibullah Alikhil.

Expressing gratitude for the opportunity of a personal meeting, the diplomat conveyed the greetings from President of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and the best wishes to the President of Turkmenistan, as well as prosperity to the fraternal people of Turkmenistan.

It was underlined that the neighboring state sincerely valued the traditionally friendly relations with Turkmenistan and supported the constructive foreign policy, pursued by the President of Turkmenistan that stands as an important factor for ensuring peace, security and stability in the region.

Thanking for the kind words and conveying the greetings to the President of Afghanistan, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov congratulated the diplomat on the appointment to the post and wished him every success in his work with the aim to further strengthen the interstate cooperation.

The President of Turkmenistan expressed satisfaction with the successful development of the Turkmen-Afghan relations that are based on the long-term ties of good neighbourliness, the principles of mutual understanding and trust. That is vividly testified by the Agreement on Strategic Cooperation, signed on the outcomes of the official visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Turkmenistan in February this year.

The Turkmen leader and his guest exchanged views on the priority areas of the bilateral cooperation, including trade and economic sphere as well as humanitarian and cultural areas. Particular attention was paid to the implementation of the agreements, achieved at the top level, as well as important joint infrastructural projects.

In this context, the importance of the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, designed to become a bridge of friendship and effective cooperation in the region, was emphasized. At the same time, the importance of projects interconnected with TAPI was underlined. Among them are the laying of power lines and fiber-optic communication lines along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route, which also determine the prerequisites for enhancing regional partnership.

During the meeting it was emphasized that the constructive initiatives put forward by the Turkmen leader on the formation of multimodal transit and transport corridors were also aimed at reviving the socio-economic situation in Afghanistan, and its integration into the system of regional and world economic relations. The implementation of these large-scale projects opens up enormous prospects for optimizing transport flows throughout the Eurasian space.

The diplomat expressed gratitude to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for the active support provided by Turkmenistan in the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Turkmenistan assured the President of Turkmenistan that he would apply every effort to strengthen the fruitful interstate dialogue.

In conclusion of the meeting, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Turkmenistan expressed confidence that relations between the two countries would successfully develop.