Turkmen President arrives in Astana for official visit

    President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has arrived in Astana for an official visit, Kazinform correspondent reports.
    As the State News Agency “Turkmenistan Today” reported before, ‘the top-level meeting is called to add an important chapter to the history of the Kazakh-Turkmen friendly relations.’
    The Agency informs that the President of the country signed a decree on participation of Turkmenistan in the EXPO 2017 to be held in Astana from June 10 to September 10.
    Recall that on February 12, 2017, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was reelected as the President of the republic to the third term.
    President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated his Turkmen counterpart on his victory in the elections and invited to pay a visit to Kazakhstan.
    At Akorda, Presidents of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held enlarged talks, Kazkravda.kz reports citing the press service of Akorda.
    Nazarbayev noted the development of certain bilateral cooperation aspects, including in the transit-transport and energy spheres and the presence of other promising areas.
    "Today we are signing a most important agreement on strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The relations are entering a new development phase thanks to this agreement. We resolve all the border issues between the countries. We will be the only two countries without border problems," he said.
    In his turn, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that his state visit to Kazakhstan will strengthen cooperation between the two states.
    The two Presidents discussed issues of international politics, regional cooperation, bilateral cooperation, including culture-humanitarian and social spheres, and made a statement to the media.
    Nazarbayev said that the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, chaired by the two countries’ Deputy Prime Ministers will play a special role in achieving the bilateral cooperation targets.
    The talks focused on the improvement of contractual-legal framework, the enterprises’ participation in large infrastructure projects of the two countries, as well as transit-transport cooperation.
    "The launching of Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway is an historic event in the transit-transport cooperation. The two countries’ businessmen should use this advantage in strengthening of the mutual trade turnover, "Nazarbayev said.
    Water-energy sphere and revitalization of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea were among the topics covered, and it was reconfirmed that the water resources of the transboundary rivers of Central Asia are common property, and that the destiny of tens of millions of people depends on their reasonable use. This year Turkmenistan takes over the presidency of the International Fund for the Aral Sea saving. International and regional agenda was broached.
    Nazarbayev awarded the leader of Turkmenistan with the 1^st-degree Dostyk Order.
    The adopted final documents are :
    - Presidents’ Joint statement;
    - Agreement on strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan;
    - Agreement on Kazakh-Turkmen state border demarcation;
    - Agreement between the Governments of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on the Kazakh-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission;
    - Agreement between the Governments of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on mutual protection of classified information;
    - Programme of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Ministries of Foreign Affairs for 2017-2018;
    - Agreement between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Ministries of Finance on cooperation in countering money laundering and financing of terrorism;
    - Agreement on the establishment of twinning relations between Astana and Ashgabat;
    - Agreement on cooperation between Kazakhstan’s National Chamber of Entrepreneurs "Atameken" and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan.
    Reported by the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, Kazinform.