Today, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the Governor of St. Petersburg (Russian Federation) Alexander Beglov, who arrived in our country to participate in the celebrations on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence.

Thanking for the warm welcome, the guest conveyed warm greetings from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin and congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the 31st anniversary of independence, addressing the best wishes to the Turkmen people. Expressing sincere gratitude to the head of state for the attention paid to the issues of bilateral partnership, Alexander Beglov confirmed the interest of the city on the Neva in promoting dialogue, which is an integral part of Turkmen-Russian relations.

Welcoming the guest, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov conveyed his best wishes to the top leadership of the Russian Federation, emphasizing the desire of Turkmenistan to strengthen the traditional ties of friendship and fruitful interstate cooperation based on the principles of openness, mutual respect and understanding, building up cooperation in various areas.

Within the framework of the meeting, which was held in a constructive manner, a thorough exchange of views took place on the current state and prospects for the development of a long-term partnership built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis.

The President of Turkmenistan emphasized the special importance attached to the comprehensive expansion of the traditionally friendly dialogue with the Russian Federation, its largest regions and leading industrial and cultural centers, including St. Petersburg, with which effective trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations have been established.

During the meeting, specific steps were discussed to implement the previously reached agreements, in particular, those outlined in the Roadmap for cooperation in the trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian fields for 2020-2025.

Energy, transport and communications, construction, road transport infrastructure and shipbuilding, investments and digitalization were named among the main areas of partnership. At the same time, interaction in the construction of smart cities is of particular importance.

In turn, Turkmenistan is ready to supply agricultural products, textile and petrochemical produce and other goods manufactured in the country.

An important component of the Turkmen-Russian relations is the humanitarian area, where a productive dialogue has been established in the area of education and training, science and culture. Touching upon this topic, the interlocutors spoke in favor of further deepening fruitful ties in this area.

At the end of the meeting, A. Beglov once again congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and all the people of Turkmenistan on the 31st anniversary of the country's independence, emphasizing that it was a great honor for him to take part in the festive celebrations and share this great joy together with the fraternal people.