On January 21, the Turkmen capital hosted talks between President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, who had arrived in our country on a two-day state visit. In the morning, the airplane of the high guest landed in the Ashgabat International Airport. While proceeding along the capital’s central street towards the “Oguzkhan” Presidential Palace Complex, the motorcade of the Afghan leader was accompanied by the escort of honor of Turkmen cavalrymen - a token of profound respect for high guests. At the central entrance of the majestic Palace Complex, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov warmly welcomed the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. After the official arrival ceremony, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov invited his colleague to proceed to the Bilateral Meeting Hall to hold the summit talks in the one-to-one format. Speaking of great significance attached to the development of the Turkmen –Afghan dialogue based on the principles of trust and mutual respect, the head of state has expressed confidence that the well-established cooperation will continue to successfully develop, finding its clear expression in new joint projects both in the socio-economic and humanitarian spheres. As a fine example, the parties have cited the effective cooperation in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, whose implementation will make a positive impact on the socio-economic development of not only the participating countries, but also of the states in the region. Successful implementation of the project is predicted to bring enormous economic benefits to Afghanistan estimated at US $1 billion, and to create over 12,000 new jobs. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project, realization of which will positively influence the trade-economic turnover and development of the entire Eurasian continent, was mentioned as a concrete example of productive interaction. During the meeting, the head of Turkmen state has applauded the achievements made in the trade and economic relations development. Thus, last year’s trade turnover between the two neighboring countries reached US $1 billion, and there are all potentialities available for increasing the index twofold in the current year. Taking the opportunity, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has expressed his profound gratitude to his counterpart and the entire Turkmen people for the peace and good neighbor policy, which makes a favorable impact on the common political climate in the Central Asian region as well as for the effective assistance and support, which over the years have been rendered to Afghanistan in establishment of peace, building a happy life, including by implementing a whole range of new important initiatives and projects in such strategic spheres as supply of energy carriers and electric energy, construction of new transit corridors and their inclusion in the regional network, and etc. In the course of interested conversation held in the atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding, the sides discussed major directions and prospects for the development of Turkmen-Afghan interaction in a broad spectrum of trends, having confirmed once again their mutual willingness to steadily advance the interstate dialogue and intensify mutually beneficial cooperation, which in full meets the interest of the two neighboring peoples. The Presidents of Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan also exchanged opinions on a range of topical issues of regional and international policy of mutual interest, having expressed their unconditional support to the efforts of the world community of nations to solve the modern topical issues. Further, the talks continued in the “Sultan Sanjar” Hall with participation of the two countries’ government delegations. Having stressed that in the course of the “one-to-one” talks, an exchange of opinions was held on the ways of the Turkmen-Afghan relations further development, and consideration was given to other topical issues, the head of Turkmen state has noted with satisfaction coincidence of the parties’ views on the present-day important issues. Taking the opportunity, the head of state invited President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to participate in the international conference to be held in Ashgabat in this year’s December in the frames of the upcoming celebrations on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality. Having highlighted that Turkmenistan closely cooperates with Afghanistan within large international organizations, and first of all, the United Nations Organization, acting as a supporter of settlement of the Afghan crisis through exclusively political and diplomatic means, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has spoken for the advisability of intensifying the consultations held between the two countries’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs in this direction. In view of its favorable geographical position and location at the intersection of convenient transport routes, our country possesses considerable potential for the development of economic and trade relations in the Asian continent. In this context, the Turkmen leader has highlighted special importance of large international transport and communication projects intended for long-term prospects. As the nation’s leader stressed, the fruitful work on implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project is well under way. The energy sector is also an important area of cooperation between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. In particular, completion of the electric power stations and other facilities under construction in Lebap and Mary velayats will enable to increase the capacity of electric energy supplied to Afghanistan by Turkmenistan to 500 MW. Having focused on such an aspect of the Turkmen-Afghan relations as efficient cooperation in the spheres of culture, education and health care, the head of state has stressed that Culture Days of Afghanistan (proposed to be held in our country this year) will become an effective step towards the constructive dialogue further development. The Turkmen leader has noted that several social-purpose facilities are planned to be constructed and fully equipped in the frontier provinces of Afghanistan in the near future. Among them are a 20-bed maternity hospital in the settlement of Turgundi, Herat Province, and a 300-seat orphanage in the city of Sheberghan, Jowzjan Province. Besides, a 1,000-capacity etrap mosque will be built in the settlement of Akina, Andkhvoy etrap, Faryab Province. A specialized shop “Turkmenistan”, which will sell products manufactured in our country is planned to be opened in the city of Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh Province. It was also informed about the Turkmen side’s intention of sending another batch of humanitarian aid – school supplies, confectionaries, and others to neighboring Afghanistan. Then the floor was given to Cabinet Deputy Chairman B. Hojamuhammedov, who reported on the ongoing work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline construction, its route passing through the territories of the participating countries, and successive stages of the start-up activities of the large-scale project. In his turn, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan S. Satlykov centered on the issues connected with construction of the international Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- Tajikistan railway, its route, the proposals put forward by the neighboring countries, participating in the project, as well as on the issues related to realization of this important transport project. Cabinet Deputy Ministers B. Artykov informed about the volumes of energy supplied from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, planned routes of new power lines, as well as about fulfillment of the tasks on increasing energy export volumes in the southern direction. Then the floor was given to President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. Highly appraising the standpoint of the Turkmen state, which demonstrates the most responsible approach to the issues of international cooperation, the Afghan leader has emphasized our country’s role in tackling the topical issues of regional and global significance, having stressed the importance and timeliness of the initiatives of President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov on ensuring transit and energy security. Expressing admiration for the successes and achievements of modern Turkmenistan, which sincerely gladden the brotherly countries in the region, the head of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has expressed the Afghan side’s willingness to take an active part in the anniversary celebrations to be held to mark the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent positive neutrality this year. Having evinced Afghanistan’s intense interest in intensifying the bilateral cooperation in all its key areas, President Mohammad Ghani has highlighted that the ready-for-signing documents are destined to directly contribute to rapid implementation of the joint projects carried out for the benefit of not only the Turkmen and Afghan peoples, but also the peoples of the entire region. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, construction of new power transmission lines from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, as well as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway, destined to become a key link in international transport operations were named among the most important projects. Highlighting the exceptional importance of these projects, the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan requested the Turkmen leader to assign a group of Turkmen experts to provide assistance in construction of the railway. Appreciative to the Turkmen side for the support given to the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transport corridor project, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has stressed the existing interest in construction of not only the gas pipeline, but also of a railway network and power transmission lines as far as the border with Pakistan and expressed readiness to hold relevant talks. Then, a solemn ceremony of signing bilateral documents destined to create a reliable foundation for the traditional fruitful cooperation further advancement was held in the “Seljuk Khan” of the “Oguzkhan” Palace Complex. In the presence of the heads of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan the following documents were signed: the Agreement for cooperation between the National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan and the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the issues of developing further cooperation in the energy sector; the Memorandum of Understating between the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Institute of Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; the Program for Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for 2016-2017. To the applause of the ceremony participants, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani affixed their signatures to the Joint Communiqué. Upon completion of the documents signing ceremony, Presidents Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and Mohammad Ashraf Ghani proceeded to the “Magtymguly” Hall to make a statement to the mass media. The documents signed that day also included the Additional Agreement to the contract for supplying electric energy in the direction of Imamnazar-Andkhvoy and the Additional Agreement to the contract for supplying electric energy in the direction of Serhetabat-Herat-Turgundi. In the afternoon, the President of Afghanistan visited the settlement of Kipchak to pay tribute to the memory of the first President of Turkmenistan, lay flowers at the Mausoleum, and attend the “Mosque of Spirituality of Turkmenbashi”. From there, the motorcade of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan made for the southern part of Ashgabat, where the Monument of Independence is located. Having laid a wreath at the Monument, the leader of Afghanistan planted a young tree on the Alley of Guests of Honor as a symbol of eternal friendship between the two nations. That same day, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani visited the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management, where a solemn ceremony of conferring the title of Honored Professor of the higher education institution on the head of Afghanistan was held. On January 22, on the final day of his state visit to Turkmenistan, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani visited the administrative center of Mary velayat. From the airport, the motorcade of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan proceeded to the “Ancient Merv” State Historical and Cultural Park. As known, the head of Afghanistan is an anthropologist by profession, Doctor of Anthropological Sciences and by virtue of his area of expertise, he takes a keen interest in archaeological excavations carried out on the ancient Turkmen land at present. During his trip to the “Ancient Merv” State Historical and Cultural Park, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani visited a number of significant architectural monuments. One of them is the Great Kyz-kala Fortress, the monument dating back to the 7th-9th centuries, which is a “visiting card” of the Park. The Mausoleum of Muhammed ibn-Zeid, also known as the Mausoleum of Muhammed Hanapiah, is one of the most fascinating monuments of the Park as well. A visit to the mausoleum of the last ruler of the Great Seljuk Empire - Sultan Sanjar ended the get-acquainted excursion to the Ancient Merv. This mausoleum is justly considered to be the most majestic architectural monument of Merv and the pearl of the 12-century Turkmen architecture. It serves as a pilgrimage destination and a popular attraction for foreign tourists. In the afternoon, the eminent guest visited the Mary velayat library, one of the city’s most impressive sights, which had been inaugurated prior to the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s state independence. The Mary velayat library can house over 3 million books, and serve as many as 600 readers daily. Then, in the library’s conference hall, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met with the Afghan students who study in Turkmenistan. At present, under the interstate agreements reached earlier, 75 students study in different higher education institutions of Turkmenistan to receive professional education in various specialized fields. In the course of the meeting, the head of Afghanistan briefly familiarized its participants with the results of the summit talks held the day before, having highlighted their fruitful character and important significance attached to cooperation in the sphere of education in the bilateral relations. Having stressed the particular importance of the measures taken in Turkmenistan to improve the system of science and education, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has emphasized that the knowledge gained by the young people from Afghanistan in friendly Turkmenistan, will enable them to become highly-qualified specialists capable of bringing their country’s economy to leading positions. In this context, the head of Afghanistan also noted a role of students in further strengthening the ties of friendship between Turkmen and Afghan peoples, united by common historical and spiritual roots. Upon completion of the meeting, the presidential motorcade proceeded to the airport of Mary city and the head of Afghanistan departed for his home country.