MEETING OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HALK MASLAHATY OF TURKMENISTAN WITH THE CHAIRMAN OF THE EXPEDIENCY DISCERNMENT COUNCIL OF IRAN

On May 30, Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with  the Chairman of Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Sadeq Amoli Larijani.

The Head of the Expediency Discernment Council stressed that Iran is sincerely proud of the achievements that the friendly Turkmen people managed to achieve under the leadership of Arkadag and today, headed by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, continues to achieve great success in social and economic development.

It was noted that Tehran attaches particular importance to the current visit of the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, which is regarded as another important step towards strengthening the ties of friendship and good neighborliness that initially strengthened fruitful interstate dialogue.

Arkadag, in turn, noted that for many years, close ties have been established between our countries, and our peoples have been not only neighbors, but also relatives for centuries. Such bilateral contacts, based on the principles of openness and mutual trust, are a component of a high level of cooperation between the two countries.

Then, a thorough exchange of views took place on a wide range of partnership issues both in a bilateral format and within the framework of major international organizations.

As the National Leader of the Turkmen people noted, Turkmenistan attaches particular importance to cooperation with Iran, and the interstate dialogue in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres is developing on the principles of mutual respect and good neighborliness.

Iran was among the first to support the independence and status of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan, providing appropriate assistance in this direction on the world stage, in connection with which gratitude was expressed to the Iranian side for supporting the neutral foreign policy of our country and the international initiatives put forward.

In turn, Turkmenistan respects the sovereignty of Iran and the path it has chosen. Highly appreciating the specific and constructive principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran, our country notes its significant role in the world arena and always supports the international initiatives put forward by it.

Topical issues of regional and international politics of mutual interest also became the subject of discussion. In this context, the National Leader of the Turkmen people noted that as a result of the complex processes taking place today in the international arena, Central Asia and its neighboring states are in the center of attention of the whole world. This factor serves to strengthen the position of the region to a certain extent. In this regard, attention was paid to the issues of ensuring security and stability in the region.

An exchange of views also took place on issues of Turkmen-Iranian cooperation related to the Caspian Sea. In this context, the importance of the specific agreements reached following the results of the Sixth Caspian Summit of the heads of state of the region, held on June 29, 2022 in Ashgabat, was noted.

At the same time, in modern conditions, the Caspian basin is becoming increasingly important not only politically, but also economically, Arkadag continued, stressing that Turkmenistan sees the existence of strategic opportunities for cooperation in this area.

In trade and economic relations, great prospects for strengthening partnerships were noted. Among the priority vectors, transport, the oil and gas complex and the electric power industry were identified.

During the meeting, an exchange of views took place on the establishment of close contacts between the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan and the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as between the parliaments of the two countries.

In terms of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty emphasized that Turkmenistan attaches particular importance to the development of relations in this area with the fraternal people of Iran. Jointly held cultural events and scientific forums expand the opportunities for the spiritual enrichment of our peoples. In this context, the sides expressed their readiness to intensify interaction, in particular, in the scientific and educational sphere, in the field of healthcare, ecology, as well as between the velayats.

Sadeq Amoli Larijani stressed that the revival of the original national traditions of Turkmenistan is of great importance in educating the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism and respect for the heritage of their ancestors. At the same time, it was noted that in Turkmenistan much attention is paid to the implementation of youth policy.

The Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council also noted the importance of building a mosque and a madrasah in the city of Arkadag, designed to promote the continuation of religious traditions and unite our fraternal peoples.

Arkadag, noting the expediency of further deepening the relations of friendship and brotherhood between our states, invited the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran to visit Turkmenistan at any time convenient for him.