Today, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with Prime-minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov, who arrived in Turkmenistan to participate in the International forum.

The head of state warmly welcomed the head of government of the friendly country and thanked him for accepting the invitation to visit our country 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 also noted the importance of the participation of a high-ranking Azerbaijani delegation in this Forum.

Expressing gratitude for the hospitality and invitation to participate in the International forum, the Prime-minister of Azerbaijan noted that Turkmen neutrality is an exemplary example of establishing friendly relations and promoting a culture of trust. In this regard, confidence was expressed that the International forum being held in Ashgabat will be an important step toward strengthening peace regionally and globally. The head of the government of the neighbouring country conveyed warm greetings from President Ilham Aliyev to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and extended sincere congratulations on the occasion of International neutrality day and the 30^th anniversary of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan.

Addressing his best wishes to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the head of state emphasized that the International year of peace and trust marks the 80^th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. This year also coincides with an important date in the history of independent Turkmenistan – the glorious 30^th anniversary of its permanent neutrality.

In this regard, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the International forum, which will be held in our capital, will create broad opportunities for exchanging views on developing strategic solutions to important problems of the modern era, implementing constructive approaches in this area, and identifying specific areas of cooperation.

Touching upon the topic of bilateral relations, the head of state emphasized that Turkmenistan highly values the comprehensive partnership with the Republic of Azerbaijan.

As noted, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan share a common historical and cultural heritage, which serves as a reliable foundation for expanding cooperation between our fraternal countries in various fields. Currently, interstate dialogue, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and good neighbourliness, is steadily developing in bilateral and multilateral formats.

High-level contacts and close cooperation within international organisations indicate a solid foundation for fruitful relations.

Noting that Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have significant potential for building a productive partnership, the head of state confirmed readiness of our country to intensify cooperation in areas of mutual interest and expressed confidence that the current visit by the head of government of a friendly country will contribute to the further strengthening of interstate relations.

At the end of the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Prime-minister Ali Asadov exchanged good wishes and reaffirmed the commitment of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan to effective cooperation that meets the national interests and socio-economic development priorities of the two countries.