A meeting of the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Shentop, who arrived in Ashgabat on a visit at the head of the parliamentary delegation of his country, took place today at the Oguzkent hotel in the capital.

Warmly welcoming the head of the Turkish Parliament to the historical homeland, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty thanked him for accepting the invitation to visit Turkmenistan and expressed sincere deep condolences in connection with the terrorist act in Istanbul on November 13. “May the dead rest in peace, and the injured find healing,” Arkadag said.

We have a lot of work to do to further protect the interests of our citizens, Arkadag continued, noting that at a recent meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held on the sidelines of the Samarkand summit, a wide range of issues related to bilateral interstate relations, including political diplomatic and trade and economic directions.

Special attention was paid to the cultural and humanitarian component - the fields of science, education, healthcare, sports and culture, Arkadag said, emphasizing the commonality of the spiritual component of the two peoples - religion, language, historical roots, which was expressed in the definition "Two states - one people."

Focusing on the special significance of the cultural dialogue with TURKSOY, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that in 2024 the 300th anniversary of the poet-thinker, the founder of the modern Turkmen language Magtymguly Fragi will be widely celebrated, and the decision to declare this year in the space of the Turkic states The year of Magtymguly Fragi, as well as the proclamation of the ancient city of Anau as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024, caused universal joy.

Speaking about the importance of inter-parliamentary relations in coordinating legislative activities, the head of the Turkmen Parliament emphasized the need to give priority to environmental issues, food security, youth issues, gender issues and other tasks that largely affect human rights and are part of the UN Development Program. Thus, it is necessary to highlight the role of inter-parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening our relations, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty stated.

Noting the great importance attached to the visit of the head of the Turkish Parliament to Turkmenistan, Arkadag expressed confidence that the issues related to the legislative sphere, which will be discussed during the current negotiations and meetings of Mustafa Shentop in Ashgabat, will significantly strengthen cooperation in this area.

In turn, the guest thanked for the hospitality, noting that it was a great honor for him to be in his native Motherland.

The Chairman of the Turkish Parliament emphasized that at the present stage, Turkmen-Turkish relations based on common spiritual traditions are successfully developing in all directions and filled with new content.

Further, the meeting continued in an expanded format with the participation of representatives of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh and the Turkish parliamentary delegation.

Noting the strategic nature of cooperation between the two countries, based on mutual respect, trust and equality, Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov cited the facts of recent history as an example, emphasizing that the Republic of Turkey was the first state in the world to recognize the independence of Turkmenistan, and from the first years of its sovereign development regularly provided assistance in both bilateral and multilateral formats.

Today, friendly, fraternal relations between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Turkey are at a high level, steadily developing and strengthening, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty continued, noting that contacts maintained at the level of heads of state contribute to this.

In this regard, Arkadag recalled the official visit to Turkmenistan of the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in November 2021, during which an assessment was made of the state of Turkmen-Turkish cooperation and practical steps for the future were discussed, as well as a wide exchange of views on regional and international agenda.

This fact is confirmed by our fruitful meeting with the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held on November 11 this year, the head of the Turkmen Parliament said.

Turkmenistan and Turkey act in unison on the global arena, on the platforms of international structures and, first of all, the United Nations, which is eloquently evidenced by systemic effective interaction and mutual support in such important areas as international energy security, development of transport systems, climate change and information security, Arkadag noted, in this context, emphasizing that Turkey was a co-author of 17 Resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly at the proposal of Turkmenistan.

Our country continues to put forward initiatives on topical international issues, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty continued, noting that today a difficult political situation is developing in various regions of the world, which requires a peaceful, political and diplomatic settlement. In this regard, Turkmenistan took the initiative to develop a draft Resolution of the UN General Assembly "Dialogue is a guarantee of peace", as well as to declare 2025 the Year of Peace and Trust at the level of the Community of Nations, said the head of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh, expressing confidence that these proposals, designed to promote maintenance of global peace and security, will gain broad support from friendly states, including the Republic of Turkey.

In this regard, Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also pointed to Turkmenistan's support for the efforts of the Republic of Turkey to ensure peace and security, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals at the international and regional levels, emphasizing that our Motherland pays special attention to building up cooperation with a friendly country within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organization of Turkic States, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and other regional and international structures.

The trilateral partnership in the format "Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Turkey" is also of great importance. An agreement was reached to hold the Summit of the Heads of State of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey in our country, and we again announce our readiness to organize this high-level meeting in our country, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty said.

As part of preparations for the trilateral Summit, meetings of the ministers of foreign affairs, transport and energy of our countries are held separately, and work is underway on documents to be signed during the high-level meeting, head of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said, proposing to organize a meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries in order to complete the preparatory procedures.

Focusing on the issues of cooperation between the two states in the trade and economic sphere, which is one of the priority vectors of actively developing bilateral cooperation, the head of the Turkmen Parliament stated that today the representatives of Turkish business are effectively working in various segments of the economy of our country.

As noted, the volume of trade is growing from year to year. The Republic of Turkey is one of the leading trade partners of Turkmenistan, Arkadag said, citing as an example the dynamics of growth in foreign trade turnover, which amounted to $2 billion 573 million in 2021, and the volume of trade in the first 9 months of 2022 was $2 billion 54 million. Thus, the growth rate compared to the same period last year amounted to 13.8 percent. During this time, Turkey has taken second place among the foreign trade partners of Turkmenistan. There are opportunities to build up trade contacts, and work in this direction will continue.

Emphasizing the relevance of intensifying partnerships in the transport sector, where today, after the stabilization of the situation that arose due to the pandemic, favorable opportunities are opening up, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov touched upon the effectiveness of the functioning of the Lyapis Lazuli transport corridor, created in accordance with the Agreement signed in Ashgabat in November 2017 between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. For these purposes, Arkadag proposed to organize a meeting of the heads of transport departments of the participating countries.

Continuing the topic, as a successful example of Turkmen-Turkish cooperation, the head of the Halk Maslakhaty emphasized the importance of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport. Arkadag noted that the potential of the port, opened in 2018, can be used to increase transport links and cargo traffic, which as a result will significantly increase the efficiency of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. The Turkmen side is open to discussing these issues in order to realize the existing opportunities, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty said.

In the context of the consistent development of bilateral trade and economic relations, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty noted the importance of the tasks facing the Intergovernmental Commission. In July of this year, the 6th meeting of the Commission was held in Ashgabat with the participation of the Vice-President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Fuat Oktay. For the practical implementation of the issues discussed at it and the implementation of the decisions taken, Arkadag proposed holding joint working meetings in the relevant areas.

The Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty called bilateral cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere an important segment of further successful development of friendly relations between our peoples.

The commonality of history, culture, language and spiritual and moral values of our peoples serves as a solid basis for strengthening and expanding partnerships in culture, art, healthcare and sports, Arkadag said, noting that representatives of the cultural and humanitarian circles of the two countries regularly participate in national and international events organized both in Turkmenistan and in Turkey exchange experience.

It has become a good tradition to hold cross Days of Culture. Thus, in July 2019, the Days of Culture of Turkmenistan were held in Sivas and Erzurum (Turkey), where traces of the history and culture of the Seljuk state were preserved. In this context, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty spoke about the readiness to organize the Days of Turkish Culture in Turkmenistan at a high level in the near future.

Touching upon the topic of cooperation between the two states within the framework of TURKSOY, an international organization for the culture and art of the Turkic peoples, Arkadag stressed that preparations have already begun for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the outstanding Turkmen poet Magtymguly Fragi in 2024, and Turkmenistan attaches great importance to international cooperation in this area, especially with Turkic-speaking countries.

Arkadag also noted that the issue related to the celebrations in honor of the 300th anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi was included as a separate item in the Declaration of the Eighth Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Istanbul in November last year. Member countries of the Organization were invited to organize cultural events on the occasion of this significant date.

Touching upon the topic of scientific and educational contacts, which are also one of the key aspects of interstate cooperation, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that today thousands of our compatriots study at higher and secondary specialized educational institutions in Turkey.

Expressing gratitude to the Turkish side for the assistance provided in organizing the education of the Turkmen youth, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh stressed that targeted measures would continue to be taken to enhance partnership in the field of science and education.

At the end of his speech, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, wished the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Shentop and all members of the parliamentary delegation of the friendly country good health and happiness, and peace, further progress and prosperity to the fraternal people of the Republic of Turkey.

Then the floor was given to the Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Shentop.

Warmly welcoming the audience, the guest stressed that he considers his current visit to Turkmenistan as a significant event, designed to strengthen the atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding that distinguishes the relations between our countries.

Noting that the Republic of Turkey was the first to support the independence of the Turkmen state and opened its Embassy in Ashgabat, Mustafa Shentop expressed confidence that bilateral relations would continue to develop on the basis of mutual respect and brotherhood, which would be greatly facilitated by the planned visit of the President of Turkmenistan to Turkey.

The Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly focused on the role of parliamentary diplomacy, which is an effective tool in the settlement and stabilization of regional and global processes.

In this context, the guest emphasized the special importance of the activities of the inter-parliamentary friendship groups and the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.

The signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh and the Parliament of Turkey today will significantly strengthen the legal basis for inter-parliamentary cooperation, the head of the Turkish Grand National Assembly said, expressing firm conviction that, thanks to the support and direct participation of the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, bilateral partnership in the parliamentary sphere will gain new and more active dynamics.

Noting the role of Arkadag in international politics, Mustafa Shentop said that the election of the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as a member of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States has significantly strengthened and united the countries of the Turkic world.

Turkey will continue to support fraternal Turkmenistan on a permanent basis within the framework of international structures, the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament continued.

Focusing on the successful interaction between the two countries at the trade and economic level, the chairman of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey stressed that this fact is the result of agreements reached between the heads of state and government. As Mustafa Shentop noted, the visit to Turkmenistan in July of this year by the Vice-President of the Republic of Turkey Fuat Oktay largely contributed to the dynamics of bilateral cooperation in the trade and economic sphere.

Focusing on the presence of broad prospects for building up contacts in this direction, the guest said that Turkey is ready to supply Turkmen natural gas to Europe in transit.

There is not only a high-level partnership between our countries, but also good cordial relations between our peoples, the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey said, expressing special gratitude to the leadership of the Turkmen state and the entire Turkmen people in this regard.

At the end of the meeting in an expanded format, a ceremony of signing a bilateral document was held. Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Shentop put their signatures under the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Then, in a solemn atmosphere, the Hero-Arkadag read out the Decree of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov on awarding the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament with the order “Garaşsyz Türkmenistana bolan beýik söýgüsi üçin”. As indicated in the document, Mustafa Shentop was awarded this high award for his contribution to enriching the content of interstate cooperation.

On behalf of the head of state, to the warm applause of the audience, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesha presented a high award to the head of the Turkish Parliament, warmly congratulating his Turkish colleague on this significant event and wishing him further success in his work.

Mustafa Shentop, in turn, expressed gratitude to the Hero-Arkadag and the President of Turkmenistan, noting that this high state award is recognition of his contribution to the strengthening of Turkmen-Turkish relations.

At the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Milli Gengesh Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Shentop warmly said goodbye, expressing confidence that constructive inter-parliamentary cooperation would continue to develop dynamically for the common good, contributing to the strengthening of a trusting dialogue, traditionally friendly and fraternal relations between countries and peoples.

On behalf of the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, an official dinner was given in honor of the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Mustafa Shentop.

Today, in the afternoon, Mustafa Shentop visited the International Akhal-Teke Equestrian Complex, where the guests were greeted by members of the National Equestrian Games Group “Galkynyş” with their incendiary performance.

At the end of the program of the working visit, the Turkish delegation headed by Mustafa Shentop went to the International Airport of Ashgabat, from where they flew to their homeland.