OREANDA-NEWS. June 03, 2009. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Viktor Zubkov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Co-Chairman of the Turkmen-Russian intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation.

Thanking for the opportunity of a personal meeting the guest conveyed the heartfelt greetings of RF President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who expressed adherence to the traditionally friendly relations with Turkmenistan.

Greeting the guest Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov addressed the best wishes to the leadership of the Russian Federation noting that cooperation with the Russian partners remained a strategic priority of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy. In this regard the Turkmen leader highly appreciated the high dynamics of the intergovernmental dialogue that was brought up to a new higher level in recent years through the goodwill and efforts of two nations. That was illustrated by the steady growth in trade turnover between two countries, expansion of humanitarian cooperation in all key fields, particularly education and science. Focusing on the exceptional importance to further intensify Turkmen-Russian cultural contacts the President expressed gratitude to the Russian partners for support and the high level of organisation of the large-scale cultural actions, which had been held in St. Petersburg and Astrakhan with the participation of the Turkmen delegations.

Exchanging views on the progress in implementing the bilateral agreements and further development of intergovernmental cooperation the sides discussed the ways to intensify it in compliance with the priorities of national development and on a basis of mutual interests of two peoples.

Highly appreciating Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s international initiatives to achieve global energy security in particular V. Zubkov noted that Russia saw a wide field for concerting mutual potential and implementing it successfully in common interests. In this regard the guest presented the Russian partners’ proposals aimed at making traditional intergovernmental relations highly dynamic and more stable to the President.

Welcoming the Russian partners’ intention the President highly appreciated the role of the intergovernmental commission that was to develop the optimal and most effective mechanism for long-term cooperation.

The focus of the talks was collaboration between Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation in the framework of the large international and regional organisations including the CIS. In this regard the sides focused on significance of the coming CIS Agricultural Forum, which would be held in Ashgabat this November on the initiative of Turkmenistan.

In conclusion the guest thanked Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for the opportunity to discuss a wide range of the issues of mutual interests during the personal meeting and wished every success in all endeavours and undertakings for the benefit and happiness of the country and people.