Today in the capital, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with the President of the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation Rustam Minnikhanov, who arrived in our country to participate in the celebrations in honor of the Independence Day of Turkmenistan.

Warmly welcoming his guest, the leader of the nation thanked him for participating in the celebrations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the independence of Turkmenistan, stressing that he regards the current visit of the representative delegation of the Republic of Tatarstan as a vivid proof of the special nature of bilateral cooperation, which has a stable, multifaceted nature.

Expressing his sincere gratitude for the cordial welcome, President Rustam Minnikhanov conveyed heartfelt greetings and congratulations from President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the head of state. Thanking the leader of the nation for his constant attention to the issues of Turkmen-Tatar relations, the guest stressed that he was very glad to have the opportunity to visit fraternal Turkmenistan again, in which Tatarstan sees a good friend and an extremely promising partner.

As the President of Turkmenistan noted, this year the Government delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers S. Berdimuhamedov paid a working visit to the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation in order to participate as an honorary guest in a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council. In this context, gratitude was expressed to the Tatarstan colleagues for the high organization of the event.

Continuing the meeting, which was held in an expanded format, an exchange of views took place on the new opportunities for diversifying cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation, the parties noted the presence of a solid potential for mutually beneficial addition of efforts in various directions.

As noted, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Tatarstan have accumulated solid experience of partnership and implementation of important joint projects. Here, as an illustrative example, we can cite the long-term cooperation between our country and the leading enterprises and companies of Tatarstan - the automotive giant KAMAZ, PJSC Tatneft, PJSC Kazan Helicopter Plant and others.

Confirming the readiness of the parties to continue to build up mutually beneficial relations across their entire spectrum, the Presidents of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation noted the significant role of the Turkmen-Tatarstan working group on economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation, whose activities are aimed at specifying the current vectors of partnership and developing balanced solutions for all relevant issues in the context of modern realities.

At the end of the expanded dialogue, the ceremony of awarding President Rustam Minnikhanov with the Order of Turkmenistan "Garaşsyzlyk" took place.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that effective cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres is an exemplary example.

The leader of the nation noted the merits of President Rustam Minnikhanov and his great political experience in this.

In this regard, noting the importance of the participation of the head of Tatarstan in the festive events on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the state independence of Turkmenistan, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that this visit will be another step in strengthening the Turkmen-Tatarstan friendship and cooperation.

Stating that he is sincerely glad to present the Order of Turkmenistan "Garaşsyzlyk" to the head of the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation Rustam Minnikhanov today, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that this event is a vivid confirmation of the inviolability of the bonds of friendship, mutual respect and trust between our peoples.

Expressing his sincere gratitude to the Turkmen leader for this honor, the head of Tatarstan stressed that he perceives this honorary award as evidence of the steadily developing fruitful partnership both in bilateral format and within the framework of a multidimensional dialogue with the Russian Federation.