Khalifa and Turkmen president discuss ways to boost ties

The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov held talks here on Saturday that touched on ways to enhance bilateral relations, particularly in the fields of partnerships and investments. They also discussed latest regional developments and issues of mutual interest. The meeting was followed by a round of talks between the two sides. Present from the UAE were Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs; Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister; Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water; Hassan Abdullah Al Adhab, UAE Ambassador to Turkmenistan; and other Shaikhs and senior officials. Present from Turkmenistan were Deputy Chairman of Cabinet and Minister of Foreign Affairs Meredov Rasit; Deputy Chairman of Cabinet and Chairman of Presidential Court Muhammadov Khoja; Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers for Economy & Finance Annamuhammet Gocyyev; Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers for External Petroleum Investments Kkayev YakhshiJeldi; and Turkmenistan’s ambassador to the UAE Oraz Murad Qurban. President Berdymukhammedov welcomed Shaikh Khalifa, describing the UAE as one of Turkmenistan’s key partners. The two leaders reiterated their keenness to make use of all commercial and economic potentials to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. They also stressed the importance of coordinating the two countries’ stands on regional, international and humanitarian arenas. They also emphasised the need to enhance cultural exchange and to expand cooperation in tourism, sports and education. The leaders also confirmed the two countries’ determination to build an environment of mutual trust and understanding and to boost regional and international stability and also referred to the need to resolve international issues through diplomatic and peaceful means. The talks covered the situation in Central Asia and the Middle East, and regional and international developments of mutual concern. Investments between UAE and Turkmenistan in the fields of oil and gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals, and renewable energy through joint commission at the foreign ministers levels were also discussed. Shaikh Khalifa said the UAE was keen to provide more opportunities for cooperation and joint investments between the two countries. He added that Turkmenistan was one of the region’s important countries and expressed the hope that the talks will yield a fruitful outcome. President Berdymukhammedov referred to the visit he made recently to the UAE which culminated in signing an agreement, an MoU and creation of a joint commission between the two countries. The two leaders witnessed signing of an MoU for cooperation between the foreign ministries in the two countries and said the agreements reflected the two countries’ joint desire to strengthen their relations. A joint statement was issued by the two countries at the end of Shaikh Khalifa’s official visit to Turkmenistan that detailed the talks held between the two sides, covering bilateral relations, regional and international developments and issues of mutual interests. It said that the two leaders agreed that terrorism, international crimes, illegal trade in drugs and narcotics were considered a major threat to peace and stability and expressed readiness for cooperation to confront these challenges. —