OREANDA-NEWS. July 23, 2010. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Ambassador Pierre Morel, EU Special Envoy or Central Asia and Georgia, who had arrived in Ashgabat to participate in the international forum on water resources management and environmental protection.

Thanking the Turkmen leader for the opportunity of a personal meeting, the guest said that he was glad to visit the Turkmen capital that stood today as the centre of international cooperation in addressing global development challenges that required concerted efforts of the Central Asia states as well as partner countries, in particular the European community. Emphasizing that Turkmenistan’s constructive policy that facilitated creating a climate of mutual confidence and understanding on the Eurasian geopolitical space had earned the country recognition and respect worldwide, the EU representative focused on the international response drawn by the Turkmen leader’s initiatives to work out the regional action strategy for saving the Aral Sea and achieving environmental security as an essential factor for sustainable development of the region and the wellbeing of peoples.

Greeting the guest, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on Turkmenistan’s commitment to an active dialogue with its dependable partners including the EU member states that our country developed strategic partnership with. Touching upon the agenda of the international water forum, the Turkmen leader emphasized that the international legal mechanism for saving the Aral Sea and ensuring effective management of water resources should be developed on the basis of mutual respect and in compliance with universally recognized norms and standards of international law. In this regard the President focused on the significance of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations Organization and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea aimed at intensifying partnership between the Central Asian states and the authoritative international organisations.

During the meeting the sides exchanged views on the prospects for expanding Turkmenistan-EU cooperation in the priority fields including trade, economy, mass media, legal and private investments sector. A focus of the discussion was the aspects of collaboration in the fuel and energy sector that was secured by the Memorandum of Understanding and Energy Cooperation signed by Turkmenistan and the European Union in May 2009.

In conclusion Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Pierre Morel expressed belief that the friendly, constructive dialogue between Turkmenistan and the European Union brought up to a new level today would be developed successfully.