TALKS BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA WERE HELD

On December 19, 2024, within the framework of the official visit of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Malaysia, talks between the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were held at the Governmental Office of Malaysia - Perdana Putra, first in a narrow format.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia expressed gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan for accepting the invitation to pay an official visit to Malaysia.

On behalf of the delegation of Turkmenistan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed gratitude to Anwar Ibrahim for his hospitality and conveyed greetings of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

On behalf of the Hero-Arkadag and on his own behalf, the Head of State expressed greetings and deep respect to His Majesty King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim.

It was noted at the meeting that the two countries closely cooperate within the framework of major international structures, in particular the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. Turkmenistan, together with Malaysia, stands for equality and justice in international affairs and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this regard, the President of Turkmenistan expressed gratitude to the Malaysian side for supporting Turkmenistan’s neutral foreign policy course and important international initiatives promoted within the UN and other international organizations.

During the meeting, the sides spoke for further strengthening constructive political dialogue, enhancing trade-economic ties, as well as emphasized the importance of developing cultural-humanitarian cooperation to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the peoples of Turkmenistan and Malaysia.

The parties also exchanged views on current issues of regional and international politics of mutual interest.

Then the talks continued in the enlarged format with the participation of members of the government delegations of Turkmenistan and Malaysia.

Warmly welcoming the distinguished guest and the delegation of Turkmenistan, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim emphasized that Malaysia pays great attention to cooperation with Turkmenistan. On behalf of himself, as well as on behalf of His Majesty King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim, the Prime Minister expressed greetings and best wishes to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, highlighting the great significance of the results of the official visit of the Hero-Arkadag to Malaysia in 2016.

In this regard, the importance of the current visit of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Malaysia for further strengthening of interstate partnership was emphasized.

Focusing on cooperation in the fuel and energy sector, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for the favorable conditions created in Turkmenistan for the effective work of the state oil and gas company “Petronas”.

Among the priorities of bilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim noted the cultural and humanitarian dialog. The importance of honoring the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet Magtymguly Fragi this year was noted.

Then President Serdar Berdimuhamedov made an address.

Thanking once again for the invitation to visit Malaysia and for hospitality, the Head of State noted that Turkmen-Malaysian relations are continuing for more than 30 years. Solid experience of bilateral interaction has been accumulated over the years and a legal-contractual framework for cooperation has been formed.

Speaking about the mutual visits at the highest level, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the development of active dialog and the current visit will give a strong impetus to bilateral partnership, elevating it to a qualitatively new level.

In this regard, the Head of Turkmenistan proposed to define fields for consistent enhancement of bilateral relations.

The Head of State emphasized the importance of Turkmen-Malaysian parliamentary cooperation. In this regard, it was proposed to intensify interaction between parliamentarians, as well as to develop a plan for the participation of representatives of legislative bodies in major international forums held in both countries.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov also noted the usefulness of establishing regular political consultations in order to intensify cooperation between the foreign ministries of two countries.

It was underlined that the key segment of Turkmen-Malaysian relations is trade-economic partnership. In this regard, it was proposed to consider thoroughly cooperation in such sectors as agriculture, textile industry, energy and transportation.

At the same time, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed to establish a joint Turkmen-Malaysian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation to enhance trade and economic partnership.

In addition, the President emphasized that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the development of humanitarian ties and supports the holding of Days of Culture, as well as international festivals and exhibitions with the participation of representatives of culture and art, creative figures of the two countries.

Speaking about the interest of Turkmen citizens to study in higher educational institutions of Malaysia, where about 300 students from Turkmenistan are currently studying, the President emphasized that the recommencement of flights between Ashgabat and Kuala Lumpur will create additional opportunities for strengthening ties between the peoples of the two countries.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov also noted that the decision to hold the World Water Congress and Exhibition in Sarawak in 2028 reaffirms the significance of Malaysia’s initiatives in the international arena. In this regard, the Head of State said that Turkmenistan intends to participate in the work of the high-level forum and, taking this opportunity, wished great success in preparing and hosting the World Water Congress and Exhibition.

Once again thanking Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for constructive talks and readiness to develop friendly relations and cooperation between Turkmenistan and Malaysia, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed wishes of peace and well-being to the people of Malaysia.

Thanking the President for his speech and constructive proposals, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim noted that interaction in political-diplomatic, economic, agricultural and cultural spheres holds an important place in the interstate dialog.

It was noted that Malaysia attaches great importance to strengthening relations between Kuala Lumpur and Ashgabat. Emphasizing that Turkmenistan is implementing initiatives to create “green” and “smart” cities with the application of advanced technologies, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed sincere congratulations to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on achievements in this regard.

Highlighting the international initiatives of Turkmenistan, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim emphasized that the experience gained by Turkmenistan in this regard is very important for Malaysia.

It was underlined that direct flights between the two countries contribute to the progress of cooperation in the field of tourism, as evidenced by the increase in the flow of tourists. In this regard, readiness to introduce benefits for tourists was voiced.

Noting that President Serdar Berdimuhamedov identified energy, transportation and technology as favorable areas of partnership, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed Malaysia’s readiness to implement projects in these fields. At the same time, support was expressed for Turkmenistan’s initiative to establish the “Central Asia + ASEAN” format and readiness to cooperate within its framework.

In conclusion, emphasizing that Malaysia supports Turkmenistan’s constructive strategy in foreign policy based on the principles of neutrality, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed congratulations on Turkmenistan’s achievements in the international arena.

At the end of the talks in the enlarged format, the ceremony of signing a solid package of interstate, intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents was held.

Upon the completion of the signing ceremony, the President of Turkmenistan and the Prime Minister of Malaysia addressed the mass media.

In the afternoon, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov visited the “Petronas” tower where he met with the leadership of the Malaysian company.