OREANDA-NEWS. March 31, 2009. Nobody in the political circles of two countries doubted that the state visit of the President of Turkmenistan to the Russian Federation would be a success though that this success would surpass all expectations became obvious from the first minutes of the talks between Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Dmitriy Medvedev.

It was the degree of political confidence and friendliness marking the meeting between two Presidents in the country residence of the leader of the Russian Federation in Barviha, where the aspects of further development of the intergovernmental relations were discussed during the informal conversation and then in the Kremlin during the official talks, hit the headlines across the world, which showed intense interest in this visit. This interest was stirred up by many conditions including the global tendencies of development and Turkmenistan’s profound natural resources and specific geographical location – in such a geopolitically strategic region as Central Asia.

The interest worldwide in the policy of the Turkmen leadership that resolutely took the path of fundamental social and economic reforms and wide international cooperation is great. Of course, the personality of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who put forward a number of the constructive initiatives aimed at concerting global efforts to strengthen peace, stability, security and sustainable social and economic development and effectively responding challenges of the modern world, arouses keen interest.

Here, we would like to refer the interview of Governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko to the Russian and foreign journalists in which she said that “the personality of the President of Turkmenistan – a young, energetic politician, reformer and innovator wins with his vigour and bold approaches to cooperation with Russia and in particular St. Petersburg. Communication with him inspires with optimism and belief that the most daring plans will be undoubtedly realized as well as the grandiose reforms bringing the country up to economic advances come into life before our very eyes in modern Turkmenistan.”

The programme of the visit going beyond the traditional scope testifies to the significance attached by the partners to this landmark visit in all respects. In Moscow the Turkmen leader held the talks with RF President Dmitriy Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, had the meetings with Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov. The President of Turkmenistan visited St. Petersburg where he had the meeting with Governor Valentina Matvienko and the businessmen of Russia’s northern capital, attended the ceremony of inaugurating direct air service between Ashgabat and the city of the Neva River. Moreover, the Turkmen-Russian economic forum and the Textiles, Carpets, Jewellery of Turkmenistan – 2009 fair which occupied a pavilion of Expocentre – one of the most prestigious exhibition areas in Russia and the CIS anticipated the top-level talks.

In a word, these top-level talks became an event of paramount importance in the political calendar of two countries. What is more important is that these talks showed that ‘human dimension’ defines to a larger extent the character of Turkmen-Russian partnership, determines the choice of the priority fields of cooperation and relevant projects. It is not by chance that speaking at the official reception at the Kremlin Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that “the history of the relations between the peoples of Turkmenistan and Russia is centuries old. Over this period the unique experience of human communication, mutual penetration of cultures, traditions was accumulated and the specific kind of the relationships based on mutual respect, confidence and equality was formed. This quality of the relations between two peoples was maintained and taken to the new epoch.”

The Turkmen leader noted that friendship, mutual sympathy and respect between the peoples of Turkmenistan and Russia had not been corroded and had passed the test of the time. It was that guaranteed to a larger extent sincere hospitality and cordiality of the meetings in the Russian land, the heartfelt, emotionally positive statements made by the political and public figures as well as contributed to the exceptionally businesslike and constructive atmosphere, and eventually the effectiveness and success of the talks. In this regard Dmitriy Medvedev said that this atmosphere distinguished the Turkmen-Russian top-level talks and contributed to achieving the real results of cooperation. The RF President said that Russia highly valued this atmosphere that was real partnership.

The statements made by RF Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during the personal meeting with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov are quite significant in this regard. The RF Prime Minister emphasized that Russia carefully treated its cooperation with Turkmenistan and focused on intense interest showed by Russia’s business community in establishing full-scale partnership with Turkmen partners that was vividly illustrated by the keen interest in the Turkmen-Russian economic forum and the fair of Turkmen commodities in Moscow.

During those days Turkmen-Russian fraternity recognized by the leaders of Turkmenistan and Russia as the foundation of the friendly dialogue of 17 years achieved the level of confidence that worked for the principle of the quantity-to-quality transition. Indeed, there should be a reference point, in this case – the coincident political willingness of the leadership of Turkmenistan and Russia that transformed this willingness into initiatives, initiatives in actions. To prove everything said above the concrete steps taken by both partners in humanitarian sphere for the past two years should be mentioned. In particular, these include construction the new building of A. S. Pushkin Turkmen-Russian School in Ashgabat and opening of the branch of I. M. Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, increase of the number of Turkmen students studying in the Russian Federation, joint participation of Turkmen and Russian the scientists and educational and cultural workers in the international conferences, exhibitions, art festivals and meeting. These also include the Days of Culture of Turkmenistan in Russia and the Days of Culture of Russia in Turkmenistan, which will be held in 2009-2010 and the intergovernmental agreements signed during this visit on the attestation of scientific and scientific and educational workers, mutual recognition of the state certificates of education received in two countries during the years of independence.

“Turkmenistan prioritizes development and enhancement of the friendly relationships with Russia. To say more, we think our relations to be characterized as long-term, strategic partnership, independent of the current political situation and free from any outside influence,” Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said.

For sake of historical truth it should be noted that the Turkmen leader’s keynote speech illustrating the essence and content of Turkmen-Russian cooperation in all fields, his concrete proposals aimed at expanding traditional collaboration was appreciated and completely supported by the Russian partners. In any event, addressing the press conference RF President Dmitriy Medvedev put emphasis on the ‘breakthrough’ character of the agreements signed upon concluding the top-level talks that was the very pragmatic assessment of the agreements reached in Moscow and adopted by mass media worldwide.

Indeed, it is enough to look at the geographical map to receive evidence of the indisputability and zero risk of the energy and transport routes laid by concerted efforts of two countries. For example, share sponsorship of the project on construction of the railway Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran, which will connect Russia with the sea terminals in the Persian Gulf and be an outlet to the Indian Ocean. A good supplement to this project is the intergovernmental agreement on direct railroad ferry service between the seaports of Turkmenbashi, Astrakhan and Mahachkala or, for example, the Caspian gas pipeline, which starts on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea and enters the territory of Russia crossing the territory of Kazakhstan.

Generally speaking, Turkmen-Russian energy cooperation is a separate theme of conversation. The agreement on gas cooperation defined for a quarter of a century the relationships between two countries ranking among the countries with the greatest natural gas reserves in the world. The rapidly changing situation on world energy market demands adjustment and updating of the position, intensification of efforts under the transport and energy integration projects. Thus, building their economic development strategy on wide export of hydrocarbon resources Turkmenistan and Russia equally strive to ensure security and reliability of transit of their energy. It is natural that the relevant issues were the focus of the talks. In particular, Dmitriy Medvedev said that Russia supported Turkmenistan’s initiative to enhance the international guarantees of security of gas transportation systems and as a co-author of the UN Resolution on the Reliable and Stable Transit of Energy and Its Role in Ensuring Sustainable Development and International Cooperation and would promote this initiative as the co-sponsor. The countries are planning to draft new documents, new gas projects.

Establishment of the direct relations between Turkmenistan and the largest regions, industrial and cultural centres of the Russian Federation is another noteworthy peculiarity of the relationships between two states. An illustrative example here is successful cooperation with the Republic of Tatarstan, the Astrakhan Oblast and, of course, St. Petersburg, which was offered a powerful incentive to develop during this visit. As is known, during his visit to Russia’s northern capital President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made an excursion to the plant of the Yarovit Motors Public Corporation where the Russian enterprises arranged an exposition of machines and equipment and the presentation of the projects and business plans specially for the Turkmen leader.

The Russian companies such as Gazporm Public Corporation, Rossiyskie Zheleznye Dorogi Public Corporation, KAMAZ, Ietra, Stroytransgaz, Soyuzneftegaz expand on the Turkmen market not by chance. It is the indicator that allows judging about attractiveness of the Turkmen market, the changes that have taken place in the country in recent years, the coming ‘boom of investments’. The open door policy, progressive reforms implemented by the Turkmen leader, favourable investment climate, measures to bring the national legislation in compliance with international law norms, reputation of a dependable, competent and very promising partner, huge reserve of hydrocarbon fuel and other natural resources – all of these in aggregate made Turkmenistan essentially attractive for global business community. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Agriculture of Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation and the intergovernmental agreement encouragement and mutual protection of investments will enable to implement the reserves of bilateral Turkmen-Russian cooperation more effectively

Thus, these talks as the previous top-level Turkmen-Russian meetings are an illustrative example of transformation of the policy of concerted efforts into the strategy of concrete national interests. This is a new format of partnership Turkmenistan willingly joined having put forward the initiative and declared the readiness for the most active dialogue at different levels for the common benefit and wellbeing. That was reflected in the events which took place last week in Moscow and then in Ashgabat. During the recent sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers the leader of the Turkmen state set the new tasks to employ the profound resource potential of Turkmenistan’s fuel and energy sector in full. It concerns construction of the East-West gas pipeline in the territory of Turkmenistan. This large-scale project provides for construction of the gas pipeline, which is from 800 km to 1,000 km long, and necessary ground-based infrastructure to ensure the effective functioning of the gas pipeline.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the decision to announce the international tender for design and construction of the East-West gas pipeline is a logical continuation of the Turkmen leader’s initiative to ensure the reliable transit of hydrocarbon resources to world markets and the UN Resolution on the Reliable and Stable Transit of Energy and Its Role in Ensuring Sustainable Development and International Cooperation approved by the UN General Assembly on the initiative of Turkmenistan. To promote this initiative and the provisions of the Resolution the high-level international conference, which will bring together the representatives of dozens countries and large companies, leading experts, political scientists and journalists, will be held in Ashgabat on April 23-24.

The new gas pipeline is to be an important link in the diversified system of energy routes created by Turkmenistan and will close the gas deposits in the western and eastern regions, the existing transnational gas pipelines and those under construction and the energy bridges, which will be built in future to transit Turkmen energy to the international markets – the countries of Europe, Asia, Far East, into the ‘blue ring’. It is a splendid opportunity to promote Turkmenistan’s interests in the fields of paramount importance for national development as well as to the countries in the region where the new formats of partnership meeting requirements of XXI century are formed today to a larger extent due to the Turkmen leader’s energetic policy.