The Turkmen-Kazakh talks held in Ashgabat supplemented the series of meetings held over the past six months between President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the leaders of the Central Asian countries, which disňplayed the leading role of our country in consolidating regional processes. In August, Turkmenistan hosted a Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States in Avaza, which confirmed the common vision of the future of the region as an important geopolitical player in the world arena and gave a serious impetus to the interaction of all Central Asian states. The meeting of the Turkmen Leader with President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev focused on specific aspects of strategic partnership in trade-economic, energy and transport spheres, in industrial and agro-industrial cooperation, in a joint response to climate, environmental and epidemiological challenges, in promoting cultural dialogue and humanitarian contacts.
Each of these meetings took place in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust, understanding of the commonality of long-term goals and interests, readiness to enrich the traditional areas of cooperation with new formats and openness to new areas of partnership. In their quest for a long-term close and multifaceted dialogue, the Leaders of the Central Asian countries focused their attention on coordinating efforts on the regional and global agenda, on realizing the enormous potential of cooperation, on utilizing complementary opportunities and jointly addressing topical regional issues.
This is also confirmed by the results of the recent Turkmen-Kazakh negotiations at the highest level, which became another contribution to the achievement of the common goal – the transformation of Central Asia into a prosperous and favorable region for its peoples with a high degree of trade-economic, transport-communications and cultural-humanitarian connectivity. Among the significant results of this meeting are the Treaty on the delimitation of the Kazakh-Turkmen state border and the delimitation of adjacent sections of fishing zones in the Caspian Sea, as well as the Intergovernmental Agreement on the border regime, which completed the legal registration of land and sea borders between the two countries. The importance of these documents is obvious in light of the generally accepted view of the settlement of state borders as a fundamental factor that eliminates any tension in relations between neighboring countries and opens up space for productive cooperation. In the border areas mutual trade zones are being opened or new formats of cooperation are being created, in particular the agreement on intentions to build a cable border crossing and interconnection of telecommunication networks of Türkmentelekom company and Jusan Mobile JSC at the Turkmenistan/Kazakhstan border.
In the traditional trade-economic sphere, an agreement was reached on the adoption of a package of measures aimed at significantly increasing the volume of mutual trade. Kazakh partners also proposed to hold annual inter-regional forums, to create a Special Border Trade Zone with a road freight terminal in the Mangistau region of Kazakhstan and in the Balkan Velayat of Turkmenistan.
The long-standing Turkmen-Kazakh cooperation in the fuel-energy, transport-logistics spheres has been enriched by new proposals. In order to realize the mutual potential of the sides as major energy suppliers to international markets, Turkmenistan has expressed readiness to discuss in detail the technical, organizational and other issues related to the possibilities of organizing Turkmen natural gas supplies.
The long-term Turkmen-Kazakh cooperation in the fuel and energy and transport and logistics spheres has been enriched with new proposals. In order to realize the mutual potential of the parties as the largest suppliers of energy resources to international markets, Turkmenistan expressed its readiness to substantively discuss technical, organizational and other issues related to the possibilities of organizing supplies of Turkmen natural gas.
The main tasks in the transport and logistics sphere include full loading of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway, use of extensive opportunities for cooperation between the Caspian ports of Aktau, Kuryk and Turkmenbashi, development of road communications, including construction of a bridge across the Garabogaz Bay to launch a new road to Kazakhstan. Along with such promising projects in traditional spheres of cooperation, the sides also highlighted prospects for cooperation in such new areas as aerospace.
The Heads of the two friendly states also discussed the possibilities of industrial cooperation between enterprises of the agro-industrial complex, mechanical engineering, food and light industries, and the implementation of joint economic projects in other areas.
Cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere and enhancing cooperation in science and technology, sports and tourism were given special attention during the Turkmen-Kazakh high-level talks. The relevant ministries and agencies were tasked to organize the Days of Culture and Cinema of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan in 2022 on the mutual basis.
As emphasized in the Joint Statement of the Heads of State signed following the meeting, noting the importance of the first state visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Turkmenistan, which gave a new impetus to the entire complex of interstate relations, the parties expressed their support for further development of an active and constructive dialogue at the highest level.
Ogulgozel Rejepova
The article was originally published in Turkmenistan’s Golden Age news outlet on 27.10.2021
The meeting of the Turkmen Leader with President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev focused on specific aspects of strategic partnership in trade-economic, energy and transport spheres, in industrial and agro-industrial cooperation, in a joint response to climate, environmental and epidemiological challenges, in promoting cultural dialogue and humanitarian contacts.
Each of these meetings took place in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust, understanding of the commonality of long-term goals and interests, readiness to enrich the traditional areas of cooperation with new formats and openness to new areas of partnership. In their quest for a long-term close and multifaceted dialogue, the Leaders of the Central Asian countries focused their attention on coordinating efforts on the regional and global agenda, on realizing the enormous potential of cooperation, on utilizing complementary opportunities and jointly addressing topical regional issues.
This is also confirmed by the results of the recent Turkmen-Kazakh negotiations at the highest level, which became another contribution to the achievement of the common goal – the transformation of Central Asia into a prosperous and favorable region for its peoples with a high degree of trade-economic, transport-communications and cultural-humanitarian connectivity. Among the significant results of this meeting are the Treaty on the delimitation of the Kazakh-Turkmen state border and the delimitation of adjacent sections of fishing zones in the Caspian Sea, as well as the Intergovernmental Agreement on the border regime, which completed the legal registration of land and sea borders between the two countries. The importance of these documents is obvious in light of the generally accepted view of the settlement of state borders as a fundamental factor that eliminates any tension in relations between neighboring countries and opens up space for productive cooperation. In the border areas mutual trade zones are being opened or new formats of cooperation are being created, in particular the agreement on intentions to build a cable border crossing and interconnection of telecommunication networks of Türkmentelekom company and Jusan Mobile JSC at the Turkmenistan/Kazakhstan border.
In the traditional trade-economic sphere, an agreement was reached on the adoption of a package of measures aimed at significantly increasing the volume of mutual trade. Kazakh partners also proposed to hold annual inter-regional forums, to create a Special Border Trade Zone with a road freight terminal in the Mangistau region of Kazakhstan and in the Balkan Velayat of Turkmenistan.
The long-standing Turkmen-Kazakh cooperation in the fuel-energy, transport-logistics spheres has been enriched by new proposals. In order to realize the mutual potential of the sides as major energy suppliers to international markets, Turkmenistan has expressed readiness to discuss in detail the technical, organizational and other issues related to the possibilities of organizing Turkmen natural gas supplies.
The long-term Turkmen-Kazakh cooperation in the fuel and energy and transport and logistics spheres has been enriched with new proposals. In order to realize the mutual potential of the parties as the largest suppliers of energy resources to international markets, Turkmenistan expressed its readiness to substantively discuss technical, organizational and other issues related to the possibilities of organizing supplies of Turkmen natural gas.
The main tasks in the transport and logistics sphere include full loading of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway, use of extensive opportunities for cooperation between the Caspian ports of Aktau, Kuryk and Turkmenbashi, development of road communications, including construction of a bridge across the Garabogaz Bay to launch a new road to Kazakhstan. Along with such promising projects in traditional spheres of cooperation, the sides also highlighted prospects for cooperation in such new areas as aerospace.
The Heads of the two friendly states also discussed the possibilities of industrial cooperation between enterprises of the agro-industrial complex, mechanical engineering, food and light industries, and the implementation of joint economic projects in other areas.
Cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere and enhancing cooperation in science and technology, sports and tourism were given special attention during the Turkmen-Kazakh high-level talks. The relevant ministries and agencies were tasked to organize the Days of Culture and Cinema of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan in 2022 on the mutual basis.
As emphasized in the Joint Statement of the Heads of State signed following the meeting, noting the importance of the first state visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Turkmenistan, which gave a new impetus to the entire complex of interstate relations, the parties expressed their support for further development of an active and constructive dialogue at the highest level.
Ogulgozel Rejepova
The article was originally published in Turkmenistan’s Golden Age news outlet on 27.10.2021
