President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in a meeting with Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday discussed the situation in Afghanistan.
A Pakistani delegation led by Shah Mahmood Qureshi was in Turkmenistan on August 25-26, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in its press release.
During the meeting with the Turkmen President, the head of the Pakistan’s foreign office conveyed the warm greetings of his country's top leadership and reaffirmed the commitment of the Pakistani side to strengthening political-diplomatic, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian ties with Turkmenistan.
The Turkmen Leader and the top diplomat of Pakistan discussed the situation in Afghanistan and further steps to intensify regional interaction in order to maintain peace and stability in the region.
On the same day, a meeting of the Turkmen and Pakistani delegations took place at the Turkmen Foreign Ministry’s building. The sides exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral issues. The meeting participants emphasized the importance of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) high-voltage power transmission line and official Islamabad's support for their implementation in the future.
The officials placed special emphasis on stepping up foreign policy cooperation in the context of the evolving situation in Afghanistan. In this regard, the diplomats confirmed the interest of Turkmenistan and Pakistan in the internal political stability and security of Afghanistan, as well as the well-being of the Afghan people.
The parties noted the need to establish a regional dialogue taking into account the past experience of the two countries. The Turkmen side also declared its firm adherence to the principles of neutrality in the course of developing the processes of regional contacts on Afghanistan.
To discuss the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral relations, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister started his visits to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran on August 24.
