A meeting was held in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, who arrived in Russia at the head of the country's government delegation on a two-day visit.

Opening the meeting, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted the friendly, dynamic and consistent nature of bilateral relations developing on the principles of mutual respect, equality and trust.

“Turkmenistan is our close friend, strategic partner. Russia pays great attention to cooperation with Turkmenistan in regional and international affairs. The tone for our relations is set by the presidents of the two countries, who have held five meetings this year alone,” Sergei Lavrov stressed.

In turn, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan expressed gratitude to Russia for the continued support of Ashgabat's international initiatives, including in such areas as energy security, sustainable transport, ecology, and a number of other areas.

The interlocutors discussed the state of and prospects for interaction in the foreign policy arena, in particular, in matters of maintaining and strengthening regional and global stability, cooperation on the Caspian and Aral Sea issues, and jointly countering new challenges and threats. The effectiveness of interaction between Turkmenistan and Russia in international organizations, including the UN and the CIS, was noted.

During the talks, the importance of expanding cultural and humanitarian ties was noted. In this regard, Sergei Lavrov highly appreciated the careful attitude in Turkmenistan to the Russian language and Russian culture. He especially noted the decision taken at the state level to build a new building of the Russian Drama Theater named after. Pushkin, the creation of the Russian-Turkmen University.

As a result of the negotiations, a program of cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation for 2023-2024 was signed.

Source: Turkmenistan.ru