Hero Arkadag paid a working visit to Mary Region

On August 10, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, paid a working visit to Mary Region.

To depart for Mary Region, Hero Arkadag arrived at the capital’s International Airport from the Office of the Halk Maslahaty. The National Leader was seen off there by officials of the country.

At present, the large-scale work initiated by Hero Arkadag for the socio-economic and industrial development of the country’s regions is being successfully implemented under the leadership of the President of Turkmenistan. This plays an important role in further improving the living standards of the people.

Our country attaches great importance to developing effective cooperation with all interested parties in the energy sector. The giant Galkynysh gas field, with its enormous reserves of natural gas, is an important part of the country’s natural resource base and serves as the principal gas source for the Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan — India gas pipeline.

Under the leadership of the President of Turkmenistan, the country consistently pursues a peace-oriented foreign policy based on the principles of positive neutrality, good-neighbourliness and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Relations between Turkmenistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are a clear example of friendship and constructive cooperation. Within the framework of trade and economic cooperation, the two countries are implementing joint projects in the transport, logistics and electric power sectors.

Some time later, Hero Arkadag arrived at Mary International Airport. The Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan was warmly welcomed there by the Governor of Mary Region.

The National Leader then arrived at the Islim-Çeşme border zone in the city of Serhetabat, Tagtabazar District. From there, Hero Arkadag paid a working visit to friendly and brotherly Afghanistan.

The National Leader of the Turkmen people was warmly welcomed by members of the official delegations of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. At the request of representatives of the younger generation of the neighbouring country, the President of Turkmenistan posed for a commemorative photograph with them and presented them with gifts.

Hero Arkadag and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Afghanistan greeted the members of the delegations of the two countries.

Bilateral talks were then held between Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Afghanistan for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Warmly welcoming the distinguished Turkmen guest, Abdul Ghani Baradar said that the good-neighbourly relations between the two countries are based on the closeness of the historical roots of the Afghan and Turkmen peoples and the commonality of their cultural and spiritual values.

He also noted that Turkmenistan’s peace-oriented foreign policy contributes to ensuring sustainable development in the region, expressed gratitude for the country’s consistent humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and, taking the opportunity, conveyed warm greetings and best wishes to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

The National Leader thanked him for his kind words, conveyed the greetings and best wishes of the Head of State and stressed that the Turkmen and Afghan peoples are brotherly peoples and that the border between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan is a border of friendship.

Hero Arkadag noted that, based on Turkmenistan’s legal status of permanent neutrality, which has been recognized three times by the United Nations, the country advocates peace and sustainable development in the region and throughout the world. He also confirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness to develop cooperation with Afghanistan in the interests of the well-being of the two peoples.

As emphasized during the meeting, the Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan — India gas pipeline and its important component, the Serhetabat — Herat gas pipeline along Arkadagyň ak ýoly, are being written in golden letters into the pages of history as symbols of Turkmen-Afghan good-neighbourliness.

The talks then continued in an expanded format with the participation of the delegations of both countries.

Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Afghanistan for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar welcomed Hero Arkadag and expressed his sincere gratitude, noting the importance of the National Leader’s visit to Afghanistan to become acquainted with the progress of construction of the Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan — India gas pipeline, which is of major importance for the region, and to discuss the tasks ahead in this area.

It was emphasized that trade and economic relations between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan are consistently developing on the basis of the principles of good-neighbourliness. Joint projects occupy a special place in this cooperation. The Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan — India gas pipeline is a clear example.

In this connection, it was noted that the Afghan side views the TAPI project, as well as the electricity transmission and fibre-optic communication lines along the Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan route, not only from an economic perspective but also as an important step that will contribute to the development of cooperation between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

Abdul Ghani Baradar said that implementation of these projects would provide significant benefits to the Afghan population in terms of access to energy resources, create new jobs, and provide favourable investment conditions for Afghan investors to generate electricity from natural gas.

He stressed the need to establish a joint mechanism for regular cooperation between the relevant agencies of the two countries in order to further advance work related to the TAPI project. He also confirmed Afghanistan’s strong interest in studying Turkmenistan’s experience in training specialists for work in the gas sector.

During the conversation, attention was also given to cooperation in the transport and logistics sector. Turkmenbashi International Seaport plays an important role in realizing the region’s transit and transport potential. Developing cooperation in this field will not only have a positive impact on bilateral relations but will also contribute to strengthening interregional connectivity.

Abdul Ghani Baradar noted that intensifying contacts between the business communities of the two countries and regularly holding joint exhibitions and business forums would provide additional impetus to the development of trade and economic relations. He once again expressed gratitude to Turkmenistan for its effective cooperation and goodwill.

Hero Arkadag, on his own behalf and on behalf of the President of Turkmenistan, thanked the Afghan side for its hospitality and expressed confidence that the results of the current negotiations would serve the well-being of both peoples.

The National Leader of the Turkmen people noted that during the meeting in a narrow format, the sides discussed cooperation in various areas, including the fuel and energy sector, in particular the Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan — India gas pipeline project, transport infrastructure and electric power, and identified important tasks in these areas.

It was emphasized that Turkmenistan and Afghanistan are consistently strengthening multifaceted cooperation based on the principles of good-neighbourliness and mutual benefit. The gas sector is one of the key areas of bilateral interaction.

Major infrastructure projects of international significance are being implemented in this field. Herat Province in Afghanistan plays an important role as a transit hub. The supply of energy resources and the development of transit opportunities create a foundation for long-term energy dialogue and contribute to the economic development of the entire region.

In this context, the importance of the Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan — India gas pipeline should be highlighted. This transnational project is an important step in implementing Turkmenistan’s energy strategy aimed at diversifying the national fuel and energy sector and is designed to promote the sustainable development of the entire region and the well-being of the brotherly peoples.

Cooperation in the electric power sector contributes to the modernization of related infrastructure and the stable supply of electricity to regions of the neighbouring country.

The importance of the electricity transmission line and fibre-optic communication system projects along the Turkmenistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan route, which are being implemented at the initiative of our country, should also be emphasized. This project will make it possible to develop digital cooperation and establish electronic information communications.

Particular attention was paid to the potential of Herat Province in Afghanistan. During the talks, it was stated that the supply of Turkmen natural gas and electricity to Afghanistan opens opportunities to increase the capacity for developing a large industrial zone in the province. This is important for creating new jobs and ensuring prosperity in the neighbouring country.

The transport and logistics sector is an important system linking Central and South Asia. As noted, Turkmenistan, located at the crossroads of intercontinental routes, attaches great importance to developing effective cooperation in sustainable transport.

This is clearly demonstrated by the country’s initiatives to establish international transit and transport corridors and logistics centres, participate in the implementation of the North — South and East — West international transport corridor projects and, in particular, revive the Great Silk Road under new historical conditions.

In this connection, attention was drawn to the importance of the Lapis Lazuli international transport corridor. In 2017, a five-party Agreement on establishing the Afghanistan — Turkmenistan — Azerbaijan — Georgia — Türkiye international transport corridor was signed in Ashgabat.

As is known, Hero Arkadag previously put forward a number of proposals aimed at activating this corridor and improving its efficiency.

In particular, the National Leader proposed creating a unified logistics centre to form stable cargo flows across the territories of the countries participating in the transport corridor and to coordinate joint actions; paying particular attention to the development of cargo departure and receiving points, including seaports, railway stations and road terminals; pursuing a unified tariff policy for the transportation of goods along the Afghanistan — Turkmenistan — Azerbaijan — Georgia — Türkiye route and in the reverse direction; simplifying customs procedures by introducing a control system based on the “Single Window” principle; and preparing a digital atlas of the route.

This multimodal transport corridor enables the states participating in the Agreement to strengthen effective ties across a broad geo-economic area encompassing Central and South Asia, the Caspian and Black Sea regions and the Mediterranean, as well as to realize their significant economic potential. This is of great importance for reviving the Great Silk Road in a modern format.

The meeting also noted that there are broad opportunities for developing cooperation in the cultural, humanitarian, scientific and educational spheres.

In this connection, the sides considered increasing the number of Afghan students studying in Turkmenistan and carrying out appropriate work to train highly qualified specialists in various fields, particularly for the TAPI project and the gas industry.

It was emphasized that Afghan students are currently studying at higher educational institutions in Turkmenistan. This is a clear example of cooperation in the field of education.

Speaking about joint projects, Hero Arkadag drew attention to the importance of strengthening the legal framework for cooperation in order to advance them further and proposed establishing a Turkmen-Afghan group on economic cooperation.

The Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty stated that Turkmenistan was ready to consider the proposals presented by the Afghan side and confirmed that the country stands for the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation.

After the negotiations were completed, verses from the Holy Quran were recited. Video footage was then shown on the work carried out on the Serhetabat — Herat gas pipeline along Arkadagyň ak ýoly.

Necessary work is currently under way to successfully complete construction of an important stage of this major project. Around 300 units of specialized machinery purchased through the efforts of Hero Arkadag and Arkadagly Hero Serdar are being used.

All necessary conditions have been created for the builders to work effectively. This is of great importance for ensuring that construction is completed to a high standard within the established timeframe.

Turkmen gas workers express their sincere gratitude to the National Leader and the President of Turkmenistan for the opportunities being created.

A ceremony was then held to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Turkmengaz State Concern and Afghanistan’s state-owned Afghan Gas corporation.

This document opens a new chapter in relations between the two countries in the gas sector. Under the Memorandum, the parties agreed to work jointly on creating gas infrastructure in Herat Province and supplying industrial enterprises, power plants and the population with Turkmen gas.

After the ceremony, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Afghanistan for Economic Affairs jointly attended a charitable meal held in honour of the day’s event.

Hero Arkadag then said goodbye to the participants in the ceremony and travelled to the city of Mary. At Mary International Airport, the National Leader was seen off by officials of the country.

At the capital’s International Airport, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan was warmly welcomed by officials of the country.

Thus, independent and permanently neutral Turkmenistan attaches great importance to developing friendly relations with neighbouring states. This contributes to ensuring sustainable development in all areas.

Source: State News Agency of Turkmenistan.