Today, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with the President of the Republic of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan, who arrived in Turkmenistan to participate in large-scale festive celebrations.

Warmly welcoming the leader of the friendly country, the head of state thanked him for accepting the invitation to visit Ashgabat to participate in the International forum dedicated to the International year of peace and trust, International neutrality day, and the 30^th anniversary of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that participation of President Vahagn Khachaturyan in this Forum confirms his support for neutrality policy of Turkmenistan, as well as his commitment to strengthening peace and mutual understanding and establishing trusting relations on the global stage.

The President of Armenia expressed gratitude for the warm welcome received in Turkmenistan and the invitation to the International forum, which is intended to play an important role in strengthening constructive relations at the regional and global levels. Taking the opportunity, the distinguished guest congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on International neutrality day and the 30^th anniversary of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan.

Sharing his impressions of the picturesque Turkmen landscape, President Vahagn Khachaturyan praised initiatives of our country in the field of ecology and environmental protection, confirming the readiness of Armenian side to cooperate in this area.

Thanking for the kind words, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasised that the International year of peace and trust marks the 80^th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. It also coincides with a historic milestone in the development of independent Turkmenistan – the 30^th anniversary of recognition of the UN of the legal status of permanent neutrality of the Fatherland.

Speaking about this, the head of state expressed his conviction that the Forum, timed to coincide with this significant date, will provide an opportunity for a broad exchange of opinions and will identify prospects for the adoption of collective strategic decisions aimed at developing constructive approaches to modern problems and specifying vectors of cooperation in this area.

As noted, Turkmenistan places great importance on developing relations with the Republic of Armenia based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and trust. In recent years, interstate dialogue has significantly strengthened and reached a new, higher level.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov also emphasised that visits of President Vahagn Khachaturyan to our country and his participation in important events held here serve as confirmation of desire of Armenia for an open, respectful, and productive partnership. In this context, the Turkmen leader noted the fruitfulness of the talks held with the leader of the friendly state in Avaza during the Third United Nations Organisation Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries. These talks allowed for deepening mutual understanding and discussing priority cooperation issues.

Noting that new opportunities are currently opening up for expanding trade and economic ties, the head of state confirmed the readiness of Turkmen side for active cooperation in developing promising projects and diversifying export-import operations.

At the end of the meeting, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan exchanged best wishes, expressing confidence that fruitful interstate cooperation will continue to develop successfully for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.