OREANDA-NEWS. June 15, 2010. The political consultations between Turkmenistan and the United States held in accordance with the agreements reached during the bilateral meetings and talks held by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in New York, when the leader of the Turkmen state had participated in the 62nd and 64th sessions of the UN General Assembly in 2007 and 2009, started at the President Hotel in Ashgabat.

An official delegation of the U.S. Government led by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake had arrived in Ashgabat to participate in this meeting, in the framework of which the Turkmen-American business forum would be held in these days. The delegation included U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner, the representatives of the agencies and divisions of the U.S. Department of State. Turkmenistan was represented by the heads and leading specialists of a number of the key ministries and departments.

Greeting the honorary guests, Vice Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov emphasized that this meeting was another evidence for constructiveness of the foreign policy initiatives put forward by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to build the mechanism for annual consultations on critical aspects of bilateral cooperation and issues of international politics. In this context emphasis was put on Turkmenistan’s interest in maintaining stable, consistent intergovernmental relations with the United States, and the belief that an understanding of importance of strengthening comprehensive contacts and positiveness would bring bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level was expressed.

The head of the U.S. delegation, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake in his turn expressed gratitude for the heartfelt welcome extended in Turkmenistan and the high level of organization of the meeting that testified to a new stage in the relations between Turkmenistan and the United States.

Focusing on the important role the annual bilateral consultations in promoting consistent intergovernmental relationships with Turkmenistan, the guest emphasized that the major aim of this round of talks was to draft the joint action plan for priority fields.

In a businesslike and constructive atmosphere the sides exchanged views on the current condition and prospects for developing mutually advantageous cooperation the high dynamics of which was stipulated by goodwill, the long-term positive experience and profound potential of collaboration in the interests of the two friendly peoples.

The first-day agenda focused on cooperation in such a strategic field as the energy sector that was of particular interest due to Turkmenistan’s profound hydrocarbon potential as well as an increasing worldwide interest in supplies of Turkmen energy. The participants were unanimous that Turkmen-American cooperation aimed at achieving global peace and security, stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan in particular and combating jointly terrorism, extremism and illicit drug trafficking was effective and able to influence positively the situation in Central Asia and other regions.

Underscoring an increasing mutual interest in intensifying long-term cooperation, the meeting participants focused on the need to search new forms and mechanisms enabling to implement in full the opportunities existing particularly in such strategic fields as trade and economy and such important sectors as transport and communications, agriculture and ecology. The discussion focused on intensification of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere including education, science, health care and culture.

Underlining the significance of this meeting, the sides noted that the first political consultations were a new step to further enhance the fruitful intergovernmental dialogue built on equality, mutual respect and confidence in current conditions.

Underscoring their intention to intensify fruitful partnership built in these years, the guests noted that the American large companies operating on the very promising Turkmen market for many years stood ready to offer their expertise, scientific and technological innovations in new joint projects launched in key sectors of the national economy.

Evaluating highly exceptional productivity of the first meeting, the participants expressed belief that the annual bilateral consultations would give a new powerful impetus to intensify and deepen Turkmen-American relations on a mutually advantageous and long-term basis.