The President of Turkmenistan Takes Part in the Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was on a working visit to the Kyrgyz Republic to participate in another meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In the conversation between President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to our country Azizbek Madmarov that took place in the air harbour, the invariably friendly nature of the interstate dialogue, which had now been given new dynamics, was emphasised. As it was noted, the fruitful Turkmen-Kyrgyz relations, which met the interests of the wellbeing of the two fraternal peoples, were progressively developing across their entire spectrum.

In this context, confidence was expressed that the visit and participation of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the CIS Summit would contribute to strengthening the traditional interstate partnerships and would also become a concrete contribution to the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the Commonwealth space.

In this regard, it should be noted that, being an associated member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, neutral Turkmenistan demonstrates its commitment to the open and equal dialogue within the CIS, which meets the priorities of the foreign policy of the Motherland, initiated by the Hero-Arkadag and now being successfully implemented under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. The key vector of this strategy is broad, fruitful cooperation both in bilateral and multilateral formats, through authoritative international and regional organisations and structures.

Taking an active position in matters of interaction within the Commonwealth space, our country puts forward topical initiatives to build up effective trade and economic partnerships and traditional cultural and humanitarian contacts. Building relations with the CIS member states and, in general, cooperation in the Commonwealth format on a solid foundation of friendship, good neighbourliness and historical ties, Turkmenistan regularly participates in various events under the auspices of the CIS. Along with this, our country has repeatedly become the venue for events, important meetings and forums of the Commonwealth, including meetings of the Councils of Heads of State and Heads of Government of the CIS.

It should also be reminded that following the results of the CIS Summit that took place in Ashgabat in 2019, which Turkmenistan held as Chairman of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Declaration on Strategic Economic Cooperation of the CIS Member States was adopted. This important document is known to have been developed on the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

The agenda of the Summit covered a wide range of issues of interaction within the Commonwealth space, relating to the determination of priority areas of partnerships, taking into account modern realities and long-term prospects.

On the eve of the Summit, on October 12, the delegation of Turkmenistan took part in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries, held in Bishkek.

Heading for the capital of Kyrgyzstan, the presidential airliner landed at Manas International Airport, where the State Flags of the CIS countries and the Commonwealth Flag were raised on flagpoles, and a guard of honour was lined up.

At the airport, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was met by the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Japarov and other officials. According to the established good tradition of hospitality, the distinguished guest was offered a national Kyrgyz treat, pishma, and honey and was presented with flowers. From the airport, the Head of Turkmenistan proceeded to the Ala-Archa State Residence.

A meeting between President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President Sadyr Japarov took place there. Before it began, the Heads of Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic were photographed against the background of the State Flags of the two countries.

Cordially welcoming the distinguished guest and emphasising he was sincerely glad to receive him in Bishkek, President Sadyr Japarov, taking advantage of the opportunity, congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on being awarded the high title of Hero of Turkmenistan.

The Head of Kyrgyzstan also conveyed cordial greetings and best wishes to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, noting he remembered his meetings with the Hero-Arkadag with great warmth.

The Kyrgyz leader expressed confidence that the visit of the Head of Turkmenistan to Bishkek would serve to further strengthening interstate relations based on long-standing ties of friendship, brotherhood and the historical and cultural community of our peoples.

Thanking President Sadyr Japarov for the invitation to take part in the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS and the hospitality provided, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov wished the Kyrgyz Republic, as the country chairing the Summit, its successful conduct and achievement of all the goals and objectives of the important meeting.

Noting the high organisational level of the Summit and confirming the readiness of our country for further joint work within the Commonwealth format, the Head of Turkmenistan also conveyed warm words of greetings to the Kyrgyz leader from the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

During the meeting, the Heads of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan noted with satisfaction the progressive dynamics of interstate dialogue, fully facilitated by regular mutual visits and negotiations at the highest and governmental levels, and exchanged views on the prospects of the bilateral cooperation, developing along an ascending line across its entire spectrum. At the same time, the need for the optimal use of all possible mechanisms to realise the existing potential in the trade and economic sphere and to increase the volume of mutual trade turnover, demonstrating positive growth indicators, was noted.

Among the priority areas of partnerships, such sectors as oil and gas, energy, transport, agriculture and others were identified. In this context, the significant role of the activities of the Turkmen-Kyrgyz Intergovernmental Commission was noted.

During the conversation, President Sadyr Japarov thanked President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for supporting the bilateral cooperation in the field of electricity, stressing that the agreements reached in that area were being successfully implemented.

In terms of opportunities to enhance productive partnerships in the transport sector, the role of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport as an important transport, transit and logistics hub of continental importance was noted.

Along with this, the importance of strengthening humanitarian ties in the fields of science, education, culture, sports and tourism was emphasised.

The effective nature of interaction between Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan in a multilateral format, through international structures, where the parties support each other’s constructive initiatives, was also noted. In this regard, the agenda of the CIS Summit became the subject of interesting discussion.

At the end of the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President Sadyr Japarov, expressing confidence that Turkmen-Kyrgyz relations would continue to develop dynamically, acquiring new concrete content, wished each other strong health and every success in responsible government activity, and wellbeing and prosperity to the fraternal peoples of both countries.

On the same day, the Head of Turkmenistan took part in the CIS Summit.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov proceeded to the Congress Hall of the Ala-Archa State Residence, which became the venue for the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

There, the distinguished guest was warmly greeted by President Sadyr Japarov. The Heads of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan took a memorable photo with the official banner of the Summit in the background.

The Summit Meeting, chaired by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, was also attended by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev.

After the traditional ceremony of joint photographing in front of the official banner of the CIS Summit, the Summit Meeting took place.

Warmly welcoming the distinguished guests to the Kyrgyz land, President Sadyr Japarov thanked everyone for participating in the Summit, highlighting the importance of the issues on the agenda of the Summit in the context of the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the Commonwealth space, the effective realisation of the existing solid potential in various fields, and the deepening of the integration of economic and humanitarian ties meeting the goals of common wellbeing.

Next, the floor was given to the heads of friendly states.

At the beginning of his speech, addressing the participants of the Summit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed gratitude to President Sadyr Japarov for the organisation of the Meeting, cordiality, hospitality and excellent conditions for constructive work.

Noting that the Meeting was a continuation of a systematic and multifaceted dialogue within the CIS on priority issues of the global and regional agendas, the Head of Turkmenistan expressed confidence that the interaction of states in the Commonwealth format was an important factor in ensuring conditions for the successful promotion of cooperation in topical areas.

Our country is known to be an associated member of the CIS and participates in its activities in accordance with its neutral status recognised by the United Nations. Our proposals, put forward within the Commonwealth, fully met the initiatives of Turkmenistan declared within the Community of Nations, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said. This primarily relates to issues of ensuring peace and security.

As the Head of the Turkmen state further emphasised, recent international events vividly demonstrated that maintaining peace and strengthening security and stability would be the main priorities of world politics. In this context, today Turkmenistan, taking into account the realities and trends of global development, proposes to begin discussing the possibilities of developing a Global Security Strategy under the auspices of the UN. This initiative was announced during the 78th session of the General Assembly.

Specifying the three important directions of this Strategy, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov outlined as the first of them the principles of preventive diplomacy as a tool for preventing and neutralising conflicts and threats and eradicating the causes giving rise to them.

The second key component of the Strategy is the use of the potential of positive neutrality as a political and legal category, which serves as the most important factor in the peaceful resolution of disputes and contradictions through the use of the entire arsenal of diplomatic means and methods. In this regard, the unique international legal status of Turkmenistan as a neutral state, its positive experience in peacekeeping mediation and its commitment to non-confrontational resolution of interstate issues were noted.

Thirdly, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov continued, it seems important to take into account in the Strategy the importance of restoring a culture of trusting dialogue as a guarantee of ensuring peace. In this regard, the role of the decisions of the UN General Assembly, initiated by Turkmenistan, to proclaim 2021 as the International Year of Peace and Trust and 2023 as the Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace was emphasised. Time has confirmed the relevance of these resolutions for the present moment.

“We consider the development of the Strategy as an important step towards strengthening the atmosphere of mutual understanding and cooperation, within the framework of the Commonwealth as well, and for resolving pressing issues of a political, economic, ecological, environmental and humanitarian nature in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in general,” the Head of Turkmenistan noted.

In this regard, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov focused on activities to further strengthen multilateral partnership within the framework of the Group of Friends of Neutrality, established on the initiative of the Turkmen party within the UN. Turkmenistan proposed holding the next high-level meeting of the Group in Ashgabat in December that year, followed by the organisation of an international conference in 2024, and hopes for active interaction among the CIS member states within the framework of the above-mentioned initiative.

Expressing confidence that the interests of our countries would coincide when discussing the possibility of establishing an Institute of Neutrality and Security, intended to become an effective platform for analytical research on neutrality and related issues, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov confirmed his readiness to provide all the necessary infrastructure and conditions for that in Ashgabat.

Relevant for the format of cooperation within the Commonwealth are Turkmenistan’s proposals to create a Conference/Dialogue on Security in Central Asia under the auspices of the UN. The goal of the Meeting is seen as developing approaches and solutions aimed at bringing together and synchronising the efforts of the countries of Central Asia and other interested states, international organisations and financial and economic institutions in ensuring the sustainable and conflict-free development of the region. The Turkmen party invites the Commonwealth countries to take part in the first meeting of the Conference in Ashgabat next year.

The Head of Turkmenistan also spoke about the need to consolidate further efforts to counter such serious challenges of the modern world as terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and the penetration of radical and extremist elements into the CIS space and on issues related to cyber threats and other challenges.

“By putting forward proposals to find ways to resolve current issues, we proceed from the understanding that our initiatives are aimed at maintaining strong and long-lasting peace and security within the Commonwealth and also serve as a significant contribution to promoting diplomacy of peace and harmony throughout the planet,” President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed.

Identifying the activation of interaction in the economy as a priority area of the partnership, the Head of Turkmenistan noted that at the 2019 CIS Summit in Ashgabat, the Declaration on Strategic Economic Cooperation of the Commonwealth member states, developed on the initiative of our country, had been signed. This document formed the basis of the later adopted CIS Economic Development Strategy until 2030, which provides for close cooperation in the areas of trade, industrial cooperation, transport, energy, investments and other priority sectors.

Continuing the topic, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence in the topicality for the Commonwealth states of projects initiated by the Turkmen party to diversify energy, transport and communication components in the context of the development of the North–South and East–West large-scale infrastructure corridors. In this regard, great importance is attached to increasing logistics capabilities with transport links in the Caspian Sea–Black Sea and Asia-Pacific regions and with the Persian Gulf and Middle East countries.

Stressing that close humanitarian interaction among the peoples of our countries continued to be an important and unifying factor of partnership in the CIS format, the Head of Turkmenistan noted the presence of accumulated solid experience in the field of science and education, tourism and sports. An important aspect is also cooperation in the field of cultural exchanges.

In this context, noting that our country supported the initiative to declare the ancient city of Samarkand the cultural capital of the CIS in 2024, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that holding events within the framework of that honorary status would give a new impetus to the mutual enrichment of the cultures of the peoples of the CIS and would serve to strengthening traditional ties of friendship and good neighbourliness.

At the end of his speech, the Head of Turkmenistan confirmed our country’s strong commitment to further interaction within the CIS, expressing confidence in the great prospects of interstate cooperation.

Expressing gratitude to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic for his effective chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2023, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov wished every success to the Russian Federation, which would chair the CIS the following year, and President Vladimir Putin and also thanked the CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev for the successful coordination of the joint work and a great contribution to the fruitful holding of the Meeting.

As part of the exchange of views that took place during the Summit, the results of the Commonwealth’s activities for the current year were analysed, priority tasks and plans for the coming period were specified, current aspects of regional and international issues were discussed, and a number of organisational and other relevant issues were considered.

The CIS Secretary General S. Lebedev announced the decisions made at the Meeting to transfer the chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States to 2024 to the Russian Federation and to hold the next meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS on October 8 the following year in Moscow.

As a result of the Summit, a number of documents were adopted.

At the end of the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov proceeded to the Manas International Airport, from where he departed for his homeland.

Having flown to Ashgabat, the presidential airliner landed at the International Airport of the capital, where the Head of Turkmenistan was met by officials.

There, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to our country Azizbek Madmarov warmly congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on his successful visit, noting the active and proactive position of Turkmenistan in developing the fruitful dialogue within the Commonwealth of Independent States. Confidence was expressed that the Summit Meetings, held in Bishkek, would give a new effective impetus to the Turkmen-Kyrgyz cooperation and the long-term interstate partnerships within the CIS format, meeting the interests of common wellbeing, prosperity and progress.