OREANDA-NEWS. February 09, 2011. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is leaving on an official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain on February 9. It should be noted that this is the first visit ever paid by the leader of the Turkmen state to the friendly country. This fact makes this visit particularly significant for further enhancement and development of bilateral cooperation brought to a qualitatively new level nowadays.

Thus, the coming top level meeting, which will add an exceptionally important page to the history of intergovernmental relations, is aimed at identifying priority areas of mutually advantageous partnership given modern realities and the profound potential of collaboration in the trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. Also, this visit will become a new step towards promotion of the policy independent neutral Turkmenistan aimed at fostering wide international cooperation and a constructive dialogue with all nations of the world, including the Arab countries.

As is known, the Kingdom of Bahrain is one of leading, economically developed countries of the Middle East situated on the archipelago of the same name occupying more than 30 islands. Manama, a seaport and the capital of Bahrain is located on the largest of these islands. The 25-kilometre bridge connects the Kingdom of Bahrain with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Peninsula.

After establishing diplomatic relations in December 1995, Turkmenistan and the Kingdom of Bahrain seek to develop traditional partnership on a long-term, full-scale basis by building it initially on mutual benefit, confidence and respect of national interests. The new historical epoch has opened up broad prospects for enhancing fruitful contacts in various spheres. The priority areas of intergovernmental collaboration include the fuel and energy sector, the strategic one for the national economies of Turkmenistan and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Based on the mutual willingness of Turkmenistan and the Kingdom of Bahrain to diversify effective contacts the conditions conducive to establishing mutually beneficial cooperation in other spheres, including the investment sector and tourism industry exist.

Large-scale programmes of reforms implemented in Turkmenistan on the initiative and under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to ensure sustainable development and fundamental modernization of social and economic infrastructure arouse intense interest of the business community of Bahrain willing to collaborate in joint projects in the dynamically developing Turkmen market.

Not less significance is attached to humanitarian contacts, which serve as the bridge of friendship and mutual understanding between the two brotherly nations bound with historically established common spiritual and cultural traditions.

In a word, the official visit of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the Kingdom of Bahrain is to lay a reliable foundation for furthering successfully the fruitful intergovernmental dialogue in the bilateral format and within authoritative regional and international organisations. For that there exist all necessary conditions and requisites and, most importantly, the goodwill of the two nations and mutual readiness for full cooperation.