Baku and Ashgabat start strategic cooperation

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a joint declaration on strategic cooperation at today's meeting in Baku.

The parties also signed intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in the field of civil defense, prevention and liquidation of emergency situations.

The agreements also cover the areas of maritime merchant shipping, protection of industrial property, copyright and related rights, environmental protection, veterinary medicine and plant quarantine.

Moreover, the agreement on cooperation in the field of culture was concluded.

At the interagency level, documents have been signed on cooperation in the tourism industry, as well as in the tax and law enforcement spheres.

The packet of document also included a protocol on introducing amendments and additions to the Agreement on the organisation of cargo transportation, operation and accounting of freight cars and containers in the international railway ferry service through the ports of Baku and Turkmenbashi.

After a ceremony of signing documents, the Presidents made statements for the press.

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have good opportunities for development and cooperation in political, economic, humanitarian, cultural, transportation and other spheres, Ilham Aliyev said at a one-on-one meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

According to Ilham Aliyev, the peoples of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are bound by history. “We have lived together for centuries, we have been friends, and we have lived as brothers. Today we are successfully developing as two independent states,” Aliyev said.

President Aliyev expressed confidence that Berdimuhamedov's visit will be very successful. “Your visit will bring new dynamics to our relations. We have very successful cooperation in a number of areas and this cooperation will deepen," he said.

The Azerbaijani president said there are very good opportunities for development and cooperation in political, economic, humanitarian, cultural, transportation and other spheres.

"The issues we are discussing today at a one-on-one meeting once again show that we have the same approach in our position. We want Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, as always, to maintain their relations at a high level, so that these relations can be further developed. We want lasting stability and peace in the region. We want our people to live in prosperity. Of course, the development of our bilateral relations fully meets the interests of our peoples. Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are exemplary in the international arena, both in the region and in the bilateral format. Your current visit is the next confirmation of it. I want to express my confidence that the visit will be very successful and our relations will rise to a higher level,” Ilham Aliyev stressed.

"We are grateful to you for your constant support for Turkmenistan's policy which is based on neutral status. As regards trade and economic relations, both Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan today are playing a special part in the region and beyond by implementing major projects in the energy, transport and other areas. This is not limited to the two countries contributing to the region’s development. The projects implemented by our countries are of great importance and play a significant role in the world," Berdimuhamedov said in a one-on-one meeting with Ilham Aliyev.

Turkmenistan’s President has arrived in Azerbaijan on an official visit this morning. He held one-on-one meeting with Ilham Aliyev and another one in an expanded format with the participation of the delegations.