On April 29, 2025, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Ahsan Iqbal, who arrived in Turkmenistan to participate in the first ministerial forum of the Economic Cooperation Organization on Sustainable Development.

Expressing gratitude to the Head of state for the time devoted to the meeting, the guest noted that Pakistan highly appreciates the traditionally friendly relations with Turkmenistan. Taking the opportunity, Ahsan Iqbal conveyed warm greetings from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Hero Arkadag.

Having warmly greeted the federal minister of Pakistan, the Head of State conveyed best wishes to the leadership of the friendly country. Noting the importance of the first ECO Ministerial Forum on Sustainable Development, which is taking place in the city of Arkadag, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the results of the current visit of the guest will contribute to the intensification of mutually beneficial interstate cooperation and enriching it with new content.

It was noted that relations between Turkmenistan and Pakistan are based on the principles of friendship and mutual respect. Bilateral relations are successfully developing in the political and diplomatic, trade and economic, energy, transport, educational and cultural and humanitarian spheres. Trade and economic relations are among the priority areas of interstate cooperation.

As was emphasized, Turkmenistan is carrying out targeted work to bring its energy resources to the world market and attaches particular importance to the successful implementation of projects to build the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, laying the power transmission line and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan fiber-optic communication line.

The President of Turkmenistan noted that these projects are intended to contribute to the sustainable development of not only the economies of our countries, but also to ensuring energy stability in the entire region, confirming Turkmenistan's readiness to strengthen relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and support new initiatives in this direction.

At the end of the meeting, expressing confidence that cooperation between our countries will continue to develop successfully in a wide range of areas, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Ahsan Iqbal addressed each other with best wishes.