Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan leaders hold talks in Tashkent

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov arrived in Uzbekistan with a two-day official visit on invitation of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov.

Islam Karimov and Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov, during a tete-a-tete conversation that took place after the official ceremony of meeting the high-ranking guest, exchanged views across a wide range of topics pertinent to Uzbek-Turkmen relations and the regional and international issues of shared interest.

It was noted during the conversation that the interaction between our two countries has been steadily advancing in all areas, and that the current visit by Turkmenistan’s leader to Uzbekistan will afford a new impetus to bilateral relations built on the principles of mutual confidence, respect, interest and neighborliness.

It was stressed that Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan cooperate within the frameworks of the United Nations and other prominent international organizations, and the two sides underscored the similarity and closeness in the positions and perspectives of our two nations on matters of regional and international affairs. Islam Karimov and Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov also discussed cooperation issues in combating terrorism, extremism, organized crime and drug trafficking.

Exchanging views on the developments in Afghanistan, the heads of our two states stressed again that the peace in that country is impossible to reach by the use of force. The two sides placed a special emphasis on the fact that the withdrawal of international coalition forces from Afghanistan scheduled for 2014 requires a more rigorous coordination of wide-scale international cooperation, consolidation of interaction aimed at ensuring security and stability, exclusion of the spread of destabilization beyond the borders of that country.

The two leaders discussed in detail the issues concerning the rational use of water and energy resources in Central Asia. It was stated that the water and energy issues ought to be addressed with an eye to universal norms and principles of international law, with taking the interests of all countries of the region into account, and with the participation of international organizations. In addressing the construction of hydropower facilities on trans-border rivers, it was stressed, it is imperative to comply with the requirements of relevant UN conventions on the use of trans-border water flows.

The two Presidents agreed to keep with regular meetings at the highest level in order to elaborate coordinated stance on the strategy of bilateral cooperation and the pressing issues of regional and international significance.

Islam Karimov and Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov continued their talks with the participation of members of Uzbek and Turkmen official delegations.

Two countries attach a special significance to the steadfast development of mutually advantageous trade-economic and investment cooperation in line with agreements reached during summit meetings, UzA reported.

The volume of mutual trade turnover for the last five years has grown more than threefold to exceeded US$450 million in 2012. Uzbekistan’s exports to Turkmenistan include mineral fertilizers, construction materials, fruits and vegetables, electric and mechanical equipment, vehicles, products from ferrous and nonferrous metals and services. We import petroleum derivatives, polymers of the propylene, sulfuric acid from Turkmenistan.

The Uzbek party noted the reasonability of raising the volume and range of bilateral trade in accordance with the Intergovernmental Agreement on Mutual Supplies signed in 2012 and the Treaty on Economic Cooperation for 2013-2017. In particular, Uzbek enterprises are willing to supply, on an enduring basis, the Turkmen market with greater volumes of goods of the machine-building, electric-technical and chemical industries, mineral fertilizers, construction materials, modern cars and trucks, buses, agricultural machinery, reprocessed fruits and vegetables.

The Uzbek-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation serves as an effective mechanism for the further development of economic relations. The Commission convened for its 9th session in Ashgabat on 11-12 November 2013. As it was said during the session, there are all capacities available to enhance the volumes of mutual trade and investments, to expand the presence of national manufacturers in the Uzbek and Turkmen markets. These ends are addressed also during the organized business forums and exhibitions of national goods and services.

The priorities in the economic interaction between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan include transport communications. Motor and rail roads of the two countries constitute a well integrated system and serve as an advantageous transit complex not only for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, but also for third countries. In January-September 2013, the 304.9 thousand tons of Turkmen cargo passed through the territory of Uzbekistan, and 283.8 thousand tons of Uzbek freight was shipped through the Turkmen land. The enlargement of cooperation and the coordinated tariff policies in transport communications and transit will allow not only for the complete realization of potential available in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, but also will raise their appeal for third countries.

According to the Uzbek side, reasonable are the optimization of tariffs and the introduction of flexible preferences for uplifting the competitiveness and appeal of the communications in Turkmenistan in the direction of ports in Bandar-Abbas in Iran and Mersin in Turkey. At the same time, to secure our countries’ access to the ports in the Persian Gulf, it is essential to steadily and systemically implement the agreements on the construction of international transport and transit corridor Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman-Qatar.

Our two nations have an enormous expertise in the execution of major projects of international scale. Indicative in this regard is the gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China, commissioned in December 2009.

The negotiations also included the issues related to boosting the number of joint ventures and representative offices of national firms and companies. For instance, the joint Turkmen-Uzbek enterprise operates in Ashgabat for the retail and technical servicing of automobiles produced in Uzbekistan. The establishment of that enterprise, itself a practical stride in the promotion of direct contacts among corporate entities, is suggestive of the vast opportunities available in the two countries on this front.

The arrangement of Turkmenistan National Exhibition in Tashkent and that of Uzbekistan in Ashgabat has become a good tradition. In the same manner, the establishment of the most-favored nation regime is instrumental in bolstering the bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The Turkmen side was familiarized with economic zones in Navoi, Jizzakh and Angren.

During the negotiations, the two parties stressed the need in the complete realization of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in Agriculture Industry Complex. This treaty envisages the expansion of partnership in the supply of agricultural machinery, in cotton and grain growing, in chemical and biological protection of plants and selection, as well as in training specialists.

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been consistently promoting cooperation also in the cultural and humanitarian areas. In this respect, as part of the 2011-2013 Cooperation Program, culture and art figures of our two countries have been active in concert shows, festivals, exhibitions and forums held in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Notably, the Turkmen singer Lale Begnazarova was awarded the Grand Prix of the Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival in 2009, while the Turkmen artistic group Galkynysh came third in this Festival in 2011.

Within summit meetings, joint concerts by art figures from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been held many times. Dubbed friendship festivals of the peoples of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, these get-togethers have come to be grand events in the cultural lives of our two countries.

The representatives of Uzbekistan took part in the international festival of talented children “Awaza: Land of Friendship” in the city of Turkmenbashi in August 2013. In accordance with agreements reached, the exchange of information is going to be continued in the future on the festivals, concerts, contests, expositions, sporting competitions held in the two countries to secure the participation of art and culture figures and athletes in these kinds of occasions.

The interaction has been dynamic also in the academic sphere. Notably, representatives of the Institute of Genetics and Experimental Biology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan have been working together with their Turkmen colleagues on breeding seed cotton and species of wheat that suit the climatic conditions of Turkmenistan. The scientists conduct research works also in the oil and chemical sector.

It was noted during the talks that the two countries wield tremendous opportunities in the promotion of tourism. An agreement has been reached to augment the cooperation in this sphere by the arrangement of combined travels as part of the tour project “Great Silk Road”. In other words, it is now feasible to organize the return route through Turkmenistan of tourists staying Uzbekistan, and vice versa. Thus, an environment is to be created that is conducive also for the enhancement of cooperation between national air companies.

Following the negotiations, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov signed a joint declaration. Besides, the governments of the two countries penned a program of cooperation in the culture and humanitarian sphere for 2014-2016, an agreement on cooperation in preventing emergency situations and weathering their consequences, an agreement on interaction in countering the legalization of incomes accumulated with criminal methods and in combating financial support for terrorism.

Also, a range of other documents were inked to boost mutual ties among companies from the two countries operating in the chemical industry and tourism, and between information agencies and commodity exchanges.

At the meeting with mass media, Islam Karimov and Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov said the talks proved constructive and in the spirit of mutual confidence and respect, and that the reached agreements will serve to bolster the relations between the two countries. It was noted that the community of interests and views with regard to the development and consolidation of wide-ranging bonds, the similarity and closeness of positions and approaches to all issues discussed have been confirmed again.

Later the day, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov traveled to the Mustaqillik Square in Tashkent. The high-ranking guest laid wreath to the Monument of Independence and Humanism – a symbol of our freedom, bright future and noble aspirations, and offered his high appraisal of the enormous creative and constructive works carried out in the central square of Uzbekistan under the guidance of the President of our country.

The leaders of our two nations visited the Marifat Markazi erected at the initiative and idea of the head of our state. The high guest said he got impressed to the end by the Palace of Symposiums – part of this single complex – with its magnificence and modern architectural design, the conditions created for the organization of major academic forums, international symposia, along with the rich information-library stock of the Alisher Navoi National Library, the remarkable intellectual potential of the representatives of younger generation present there at the moment.

The official visit by the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov to the Republic of Uzbekistan continued on November 26.