OREANDA-NEWS. February 14, 2011.  “The political foundation of bilateral Turkmen-Bahraini cooperation that fits into the Middle East vector of the foreign policy of Ashgabat has been laid and it will be superstructed further judging to the agreements reached in Manama, particularly through trade and economic projects,” reported foreign observers on an official visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the Kingdom of Bahrain underlining its significance and multidimensional character.

While reviewing the information publications of foreign news media, which placed the reports on the Turkmen leader’s visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, it should be noted first that the media of this country, including TV channels, reported on the Turkmen leader’s visit to Manama, top-level talks and meeting held by the Turkmen delegation. The Bahraini press as well as many foreign publications paid particular attention to the fact that the highest award of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Order of Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa the first degree was presented to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The King of Bahrain presented this honorary award to the Turkmen leader in a solemn atmosphere.

The photographs capturing the ceremony of awarding the Order and the meeting of the President of Turkmenistan and the King of Bahrain were placed on the front pages of international printed media published in the Arabic and English languages in Middle East countries. It was underlined in these publications that the conceptual issues for further development of bilateral economic and trade relations as well as the need for further intensification of the efforts to implement the profound potential of cooperation were discussed during the top-level meeting.

As for the Western media, reporting on the visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Bahrain, many newspapers and TV channels focused on Turkmenistan’s inclination towards Middle East countries in recent years.

“The visit to the Arab countries will intensify even more interstate relations between Turkmenistan and this region bound with centuries-old historical, cultural and spiritual affinities and enhancing mutually beneficial partnership. The similarity of the economic structures the leading fuel and energy sector is an important success factor of Turkmen-Arab cooperation,” note foreign analysts.

Thus, the popular international channel Euronews emphasized that the first visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the Kingdom of Bahrain was quite timely and topical for both countries, which abundant natural resources, vast infrastructure opportunities and export potential.

“Turkmenistan and Bahrain agreed on promotion and protection of investments and on abolition of double taxation,” reported Euronews on the first day of the Turkmen leader’s visit. “In addition, two memorandums were signed in Manama, including the Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral consultations between the foreign ministries and the Memorandum of Understanding on economic, trade, scientific and technical cooperation. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov urged the financial and industrial groups of Bahrain to make investment in the new promising sectors of Turkmen economy. The Turkmen leader suggested holding investment forum, art festival and Days of Culture in Ashgabat.”

The Azerbaijani Trend News Agency made a short excursus to the history of relations of Turkmenistan and Middle East countries:

“The Turkmen leader’s policy of openness and wide international cooperation was highly evaluated during the visit paid by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the United Arab Emirates on February 9-10, 2010. The meeting of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which took place a few days later in Mary on February 15, 2010, confirmed that the two countries were committed the imperishable traditions of friendship and spiritual kinship.”

“In October 2010, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov paid the first official visit to Qatar. Inaugurating a new milestone on the path of fruitful cooperation between Turkmenistan and Middle East countries, this visit drew a wide international response that is natural for the obvious reasons: Turkmenistan and Qatar rank among the countries with largest natural gas reserves in the world.

“A vivid illustration of the progress in relations is the first meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic affairs between Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia, which took place in Riyadh on January 18-19, 2011. The Days of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted by Turkmenistan in January 2011 can serve as another bright evidence for this cooperation.”

The leading Russian news agencies including ITAR-TASS, Vesti, Vzglyad, Regnum and others also reported that President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had received the highest award of the Kingdom of Bahrain for his profound contribution to strengthening and developing friendly relations and cooperation between Turkmenistan and Bahrain, the policy of peace and constructive endeavours. The Russian journalists reported that that the President of Turkmenistan had invited the head of the friendly state to attend the celebrations in honour the 20th anniversary of independence in Ashgabat.”

Underscoring “Bahrain’s intense interest in intensifying the fruitful dialogue with Turkmenistan”, King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa expressed belief that “in the near future the impressive potential of Turkmen-Bahraini cooperation will be implemented in full in mutual interests.”

“The President of Turkmenistan specified the road construction, metallurgy, textile, tourism and recreation sectors as the promising areas for cooperation”, says ITAR-TASS continuing that “the Turkmen leader called upon the business circles of this country to make investment in the Turkmen economy”.

“The Turkmen leader suggested that the business circles in Bahrain discuss the possibilities to establish joint ventures in key sectors through mutual investment and collaborate in construction of facilities in the Avaza national tourism zone on the Caspian seashore and other large-scale construction projects. The trade and investment business forum an exhibition to be arranged in Ashgabat in the near future serve this purpose,” reported the news agency.

Many analytical publications spotlighted the activity of the Turkmen leadership in the trade and economic sphere aimed at attracting investment to the country as well as establishing its status as the trade and transit centre in the region. This policy to the largest extent meets the tasks to ensure stable economic growth, maintain the standards of living and guarantee employment.

The major specialized publications, which closely watch the trends in development of key sectors of the global economy, didn’t stand back. The online journal Oil of Russia said, “The President of Turkmenistan declared his country’s intense interest in establishing long-term, equal and mutually beneficial relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain.” Emphasizing that the fuel, energy and processing industries and the favourable geographical location of the two countries lay an effective platform for cooperation, the publication quotes President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who invited representatives of the business circles of Bahrain to collaborate in ongoing projects in Turkmenistan.

With regard to foreign policy priorities of our country, to convince analysts and experts, they are stable and well known. This is - an active peacekeeping policy, regional integration in Central Asia, the partnership with Europe and the CIS, and mutually beneficial relations with other countries. About the special attention to cooperation with individual countries and regions, political analysts note that in addition to traditional priority relationships with strategic partners and neighboring countries, Turkmenistan is now carefully studying the new possibilities of interaction with the Middle East.

Indeed, this region is of great importance for the entire system of international relations. It concentrates the factors that have impact on the solutions to many global problems. Turkmenistan as an active participant to positive global processes seeks to contribute building new architecture of international relations on a basis of balanced, sustainable development that was once again evidenced by the success of the visit of the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the Kingdom of Bahrain.