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Today, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov left on a working visit to the Russian Federation, where he took part in an informal Summit of CIS leaders, traditionally held annually in St. Petersburg at the end of the outgoing year.
At the Ashgabat International Airport, the head of state was escorted by officials.
...A few hours later, the presidential airliner landed at the Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg, where President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was met by officials.
The motorcade of the President of Turkmenistan proceeded to the venue of the current informal meeting of the heads of the CIS member states – the Presidential Library named after B.N.Yeltsin.
Here the head of the Turkmen state was warmly welcomed by the President of the Russian Federation. After exchanging mutual greetings, the leaders of the two countries traditionally took pictures for memory.
The Summit was also attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Before the start of the summit, a ceremony of joint photographing of the heads of the Commonwealth states against the background of the State flags of the CIS member states took place.
Opening the informal Summit, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin once again warmly welcomed its participants, expressing gratitude to everyone for accepting the invitation to come to St. Petersburg for the already traditional informal New Year’s Eve meeting of the leaders of the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
“The fact that we have gathered within such a friendly circle, in my opinion, eloquently testifies to our desire to continue building cooperation together in the CIS space in the spirit of genuine strategic partnership, mutual benefit and consideration of the interests of all countries,” the Russian leader said.
As it was noted, in the past year, the multifaceted cooperation of our states has developed successfully on the whole, and it confirms the steady growth of trade turnover between all CIS countries.
Coordinated measures aimed at import substitution and ensuring technological sovereignty, independence, building up joint industrial production and scientific potential were taken through the Commonwealth. As a result, the economic and financial sovereignty of the Commonwealth states has been strengthened, the internal markets of goods, services and capital have been dynamically developing, and regional integration has deepened.
Another key area of cooperation between the CIS countries was called the maintenance of security and stability in the Eurasian region. It was noted that the CIS countries cooperate constructively on the topics of combating terrorism and extremism, cross-border crime, drug trafficking and corruption.
President Vladimir Putin noted with satisfaction that the cooperation of the CIS states also covers such an important area as the preservation of a single cultural and humanitarian space, the expansion of various exchanges between citizens. “Our peoples are really connected by many things: common history, spiritual roots, deep interweaving of cultures and customs, values and traditions – and, of course, the Russian language, which is a powerful unifying force that binds our multinational states,” the Russian leader emphasized, thanking everyone for supporting the initiative to hold in the Commonwealth countries 2023 as the year of the Russian language.
In conclusion, the President of the Russian Federation congratulated everyone on the upcoming New Year and expressed confidence that deepening cooperation within the CIS meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of our countries, helps to more effectively solve the tasks of socio-economic development of the Commonwealth states and strengthen regional stability and security.
During the interested exchange of views that followed, the results of the work executed in 2022 were analyzed and the priorities for the coming period were specified.
As noted, in general, the outgoing year has become very fruitful and productive for the Commonwealth of Independent States. All the planned events were carried out, important agreements were reached to expand and deepen cooperation in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
The meeting, which took place in an informal setting, also allowed the leaders of the CIS states to discuss key aspects of practical cooperation and a number of international issues of mutual interest.
According to the general opinion, a significant factor in the success of the Organization is that it consistently follows the goals and fundamental principles laid down in the foundation of modern international partnership. Over the years, the CIS countries have been able to maintain the initially given format of cooperation based on goodwill, equality and trust of the parties.
Today’s informal summit meeting can be viewed primarily as another irrefutable evidence of the mutual desire and determination of the neighboring countries in the region to raise the traditional partnership to a qualitatively new level, to give it a businesslike and constructive character, taking into account the accumulated positive experience of working together, the achievements of national economies and, of course, the huge economic and resource potential.
Considering the Commonwealth of Independent States as an effective platform for open dialogue and long-term mutually beneficial cooperation, our country invariably takes an initiative position in the implementation of the existing multifaceted potential of the Organization, regularly puts forward concrete proposals aimed at developing new forms of partnership that are in demand over time, and implementing promising joint projects.
It should be noted that it was the Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov who at one time focused on the importance of strengthening the economic component of interaction between the CIS countries, putting forward the initiative to prepare a Declaration on Strategic Economic Cooperation of the CIS member states.
This multilateral document was adopted following the results of the CIS Summit held in Ashgabat in October 2019, once again confirming the mutual desire of the Organization’s member countries to unite efforts to maximize the existing economic potential and further expand traditional trade and economic ties.
The CIS Economic Development Strategy until 2030 is based on the key principles of the above-mentioned Declaration, which has identified transport, the fuel and energy complex, communications and communications, industrial cooperation, trade, innovation and technology as priority areas of cooperation.
These are precisely the sectors in which the Commonwealth states can adequately compete in international markets and offer potential partners favorable conditions for productive cooperation.
Noting the importance of promoting the economic interests of the CIS beyond its geographical limits, integration into joint projects of allied countries and neighboring regions, the Turkmen side has repeatedly emphasized that this primarily concerns the creation of transport and transit infrastructure, optimization and expansion of energy supplies, laying new access lines and communications.
The decisive factor for successful cooperation in the above-mentioned areas is the active participation of the CIS countries in the formation of sustainable corridors in the North-South and East-West directions.
The Commonwealth States, united by geography and historically established relations of friendship and brotherhood, have objective advantages, the optimal use of which meets the interests of universal well-being.
According to the leaders of the participating countries, the CIS, due to its geopolitical and geo-economic positions, should play a more proactive role on the continent, become an active participant in the development and expansion of trade and economic partnership between East and West, Asia and Europe.
The cultural and humanitarian sphere has always been an important component of the established constructive dialogue, because cooperation in the fields of science and education, culture and art, youth policy, as well as health and sports has been and remains an integral factor in bringing countries and peoples closer together, strengthening trusting relations between them.
Turkmenistan also argues for comprehensive stimulation and intensification of relations through parliaments, active use of the experience of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth for these purposes.
Our country stands for increasing the international prestige of the CIS, its positive impact on modern global and regional processes.
In this regard, the commitment to cooperation with the Commonwealth states to develop balanced solutions to pressing problems of humanity, primarily related to joint counteraction to dangerous challenges and threats of our time, ensuring universal peace, security and sustainable development, is indicative.
All these years, the CIS countries have been firmly defending the principles of equality and respect in interstate relations, advocating the establishment of a culture of peace and dialogue on the global agenda, strengthening stability and security on the planet, making a significant contribution to the implementation of the SDGs.
In this regard, their active and productive interaction on the platforms of international and regional organizations, the established practice of mutual support during the consideration and adoption of important resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, voting on candidates for UN elected bodies are very indicative.
One of the evidences of this was the support of the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan adopted on December 12, 1995, which has been demonstrating the high effectiveness of the practical application of the principles of neutrality in solving many topical issues of the modern world for all these years.
Recently, at the 45th plenary meeting of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly held on December 6 of this year, another Resolution submitted by Turkmenistan was considered and unanimously adopted – on declaring 2023 as the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace.
The global initiative “Dialogue – Guarantee of Peace” put forward by our country is aimed at consolidating the efforts of the international community in strengthening the traditions of peaceful and trusting coexistence of the peoples of the world, restoring values and worldviews, defining a culture of peace and trust as an integral factor in international relations.
The comprehensive support provided to this initiative shows that the CIS countries, which have great political and diplomatic capabilities, act from consolidated positions in the United Nations and other authoritative international and regional structures in order to restore respect for law, a culture of dialogue, trust and predictability in relations between states in world politics.
It is this position that ensures the viability and flexibility of the Commonwealth of Independent States, reveals new facets and prospects of partnership, determines the existence of the CIS as an integral element of the system of international stability and security.
Noting the commonality of the goals and objectives, the participants of the current informal summit reaffirmed the readiness of the neighboring countries to give a new quality and content to the traditional partnership, taking into account the accumulated positive experience of working together.
In this regard, the parties highlighted the need to strengthen political and diplomatic cooperation by intensifying contacts between the foreign ministries of the CIS member states, creating effective mechanisms for systemic multilateral political consultations.
During the interested discussion of priority areas of cooperation with a view to the near and long-term prospects, the heads of states expressed confidence that the current informal Summit will give a powerful incentive to further consolidate efforts and implement new important joint projects in everyone’s interests.
...At the end of the program of the working visit to the Russian Federation, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov headed to the Pulkovo International Airport, from where he left for his Homeland.
