OREANDA-NEWS. December 22, 2009. The talks took place as part of President Medvedev’s working visit to Ashgabat and were held in both the restricted and expanded formats.

The presidents of Russia and Turkmenistan discussed various issues in foreign policy and bilateral relations.

Dmitry Medvedev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov described relations between Russia and Turkmenistan as a strategic partnership and emphasised the similarity of their approaches to ensuring global and European security.

President Medvedev noted that the two nations’ bilateral economic relations have become more diverse. In addition to the good prospects in energy cooperation, there is also development in the transport, farming, communications, and telecommunications sectors. The presidents also noted the development of humanitarian ties.

Following the talks, the two leaders signed an Agreement between Russia and Turkmenistan to Expand Strategic Cooperation in Energy and Engineering.

Dmitry Medvedev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also took part in the opening of a new building of the Alexander Pushkin Russian-Turkmen Secondary School in Ashgabat. The school with a roll of 700 pupils was established in 2002 and is the only Russian-language secondary school in Turkmenistan that follows Russia’s 11-year curriculum.