Today, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has arrived with a working visit to the Republic of Tajikistan in order to participate in the meeting of the Council of Heads of States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as an honorary guest.

The invitation of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the current meeting of the Council of Heads of States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and his repeated participation as an honorary guest in a number of previous SCO Summits clearly testify to the high international authority of our fatherland and wide recognition of the progressive foreign policy implemented by the Turkmen leader, built on the principles of peace, good neighbourliness and equitable mutually beneficial partnership.

Having flown to Dushanbe, the presidential airliner landed at the International Airport of the capital of the Republic of Tajikistan, where the State flags of the countries participating in the SCO Summit were raised on flagpoles. In the air harbour, officials met the head of Turkmenistan.

From the airport, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proceeded to the Kasri Millat Palace. Here, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon warmly welcomed the head of Turkmenistan and held a bilateral summit.

The leader of the nation also met with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi.

Then the head of Turkmenistan went to the Nowruz Palace, which became the venue for the SCO Summit dedicated to the 20^th anniversary of the Organization.

Here President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, who chairs the current meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of States, again cordially greeted President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Before the Summit, a ceremony of official joint photography of heads of states and delegations took place.

The summit in Dushanbe was held with participation of leaders of the member countries of the Organization - President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Imran Khan, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as well as the leaders of several States, having observer status with the SCO, including President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi and President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh (online).

Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin took part in the meeting in an online format.

Through digital communication, UN Secretary General António Guterres addressed the Summit participants. Heads of a number of regional organizations, including the CIS, ECO and others, also attended the meeting.

At the end of the official joint photography ceremony, a meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States was held in the Zarandud Hall.

Opening the meeting and warmly welcoming the participants, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon gave the floor to the forum participants.

Speaking at the Summit, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov first thanked the organizers of the current meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of States for the invitation to participate in this important and representative meeting as an honoured guest.

We are interested and respectful of the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, we are aware of the significant potential of interaction in the energy and transport spheres, in trade and investment, industry and agro-complex, in the field of high technologies and innovations, the Turkmen leader noted.

It is also important that the countries that are members of this Organization are long-standing traditional partners of Turkmenistan, its neighbours and friends. Therefore, we consider the development of relations with the SCO in natural connection with both the progressive course of bilateral partnership and the general direction of our participation in world and continental affairs, the head of state said.

As for the direct fight against the coronavirus, here, the leader of the nation noted, Turkmenistan advocates consolidation of efforts and systematic communication of the medical communities of our states and proposes to intensify joint work with the World Health Organization, a specialized body for this purpose.

In particular, our country is taking the initiative to establish the World Health Organization Special Programme for the Study of the Coronavirus Genome, the WHO multilateral mechanism for the control of pneumonia, the WHO Methodological Centre for the Treatment and Prevention of Acute Infections, the Central Asian Regional Centre for Epidemiology, Virology and Bacteriology.

"We highly appreciate cooperation with the SCO and are convinced of its prospects for accelerated development of the Central Asian region, its transformation into the most important transport, logistics and economic centre of continental importance, a solid link of stability and partnership in Eurasia," said President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

As President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov further emphasized, with all member states, observers and dialogue partners of the SCO Turkmenistan has close historical ties, long-term partnership relations based on friendship, good-neighbourliness, equality and mutual respect. The leader of the nation expressed confidence that this nature of bilateral relations serves as a powerful additional factor in mutual rapprochement on understandable and open principles, establishing competent, professional dialogue, moving to the development of promising directions and partnership models.

This is also facilitated by presence of a powerful resource and production base, favourable geographical location, dynamic development of logistics infrastructure, developed experience and traditions of cooperation, mutual understanding and trust in our countries, the head of the Turkmen state noted.

The leader of the nation expressed confidence that the establishment of a multifaceted, systematic and purpose-oriented cooperation between Turkmenistan and the SCO can give new powerful impulses for development, promote a dynamic and qualitative course of political, economic, social, humanitarian processes throughout Eurasia.

Concluding his speech, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov confirmed our country's readiness for constructive joint work.

At the end of the program of the working visit to the Republic of Tajikistan, the head of Turkmenistan went to the International Airport of Dushanbe, from where he left for his homeland.