Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 28 November 2019, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov will pay a working visit to Uzbekistan and will also take part in the Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State to be held in Tashkent on 29 November 2019.

Both forthcoming events are important, both for the further development of Uzbek-Turkmen relations, and for the future of the Central Asian region, which is gaining increasing importance on the political map of the world.

The genuine fraternal ties based on centuries-old traditions of good neighborliness and mutual respect, support and fruitful cooperation have reached the level of strategic partnership at the present stage. The corresponding agreement was signed in Ashgabat in March 2017 during the first foreign visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The results of this historic visit created a solid foundation for the further realization of the potential available to the parties across the entire spectrum of interaction.

A special role in this process is played by the established close and trusting dialogue between the leaders of the two countries, which confirms the dynamics of the summits. Over the past two years alone, the heads of our states met five times. So, in May and September 2017, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid working visits to Turkmenistan, in August 2018, the leaders met at the summit of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in Avaz, and in October 2019 - on the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS in Ashgabat.

A powerful impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation and regional cooperation was given by the state visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Uzbekistan in April 2018.

Pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, today Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan mutually support each other in the international arena, carrying out consistent cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, and other global and regional structures.

Trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation and interaction in the scientific field are developing dynamically. So, in the nine months of this year, mutual trade has doubled and exceeded 400 million US dollars. The growth of this indicator was facilitated by the creation of favorable conditions for producers of the two countries, the strengthening of cooperation between industrial enterprises and the development of interregional ties.

To date, 135 enterprises with the participation of the Turkmen side are operating in Uzbekistan, including 64 joint ventures and 71 enterprises with 100% Turkmen capital. The main areas of their activity are trade and services, the textile industry, and the production of facing materials and furniture. On the territory of Turkmenistan, in turn, there are 2 enterprises with the participation of residents of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Another priority area of bilateral cooperation is the transport industry. The integration of the communication systems of the two countries allows not only to carry goods through the territory of Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan and vice versa, but also to perform a transit function for third countries.

The commissioning of the automobile and railway bridges Turkmenabad-Farab built on the Amudarya River, the opening of which took place during the state visit of the leader of Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan in March 2017, gave a powerful impetus to the successful implementation of the two countries in the processes of global economic development and increased the transit potential of the two countries and Central Asia as a whole.

It should be noted that the fraternal peoples of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have always been distinguished by respect for each other’s literature, culture and art. This proximity is a solid foundation for the development of cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. Without exaggeration, the common heritage is the rich heritage of the great ancestors of the Uzbek and Turkmen peoples. Thus, paying tribute to the creative heritage of the great poet Makhtumkuli, one of the central streets of Tashkent was given his name and a monument was erected with a bas-relief depicting a classic of Turkmen literature. During the state visit of the President of Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan in April 2018, the solemn opening of the Ashgabat Park took place in the capital of Uzbekistan, which has become a vivid symbol of the eternal friendship and brotherhood of the Uzbek and Turkmen peoples, a favorite vacation spot for residents of Tashkent and guests of the capital.

Figures of culture and art, athletes of the two countries actively participate in various concerts, festivals and exhibitions, sporting events held in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. There are huge opportunities in the field of tourism. Within the framework of the Great Silk Road project, mutual trips of tourists of two countries are organized. Cooperation in the field of science is also intensifying. Uzbek and Turkmen scientists conduct joint research in the field of agriculture and a number of other areas.

But most importantly, the countries share a common position that the strengthening of regional cooperation is an important factor in further strengthening peace and stability in Central Asia and ensuring the dynamic development of the region.

In this context, the participation of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the upcoming Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent and substantive consideration of the whole range of topical issues in the development of the region, areas and formats of interaction is of particular importance for the success of this important political event.

The opportunity to discuss a bilateral agenda during the upcoming visit will serve to further strengthen the historical ties of friendship and good neighborliness, and to develop fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two fraternal states.