Ashgabat; On April 16, 2019, President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in upon invitation of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, arrived to Turkmenistan on a state visit.
The day after on April 17, the meetings of the Presidents of the two countries were held, during which the two sides discussed the issues of interstate relations between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea.
Presidents of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea held one-on-one talks in the Oguzhan Palace Complex.
Welcoming the distinguished guest, the President of Turkmenistan thanked President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in for accepting the invitation to visit Turkmenistan on a state visit. As it was noted, Turkmenistan considers the Republic of Korea as a reliable business partner and intends to continue to develop productive mutually beneficial cooperation. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the agreements reached in Ashgabat would give new content to the bilateral relations.
Expressing appreciation for the warm greetings and the colorful welcoming ceremony, President Moon Jae-in confirmed the interest of the Republic of Korea in multi-faceted cooperation with Turkmenistan.
The parties stated that at present, the interaction between the two countries was actively developing, and there was a great potential for expanding its areas. In this context, it was underlined the aspiration of businessmen in Korea to expand its presence in the Turkmen market and participate in new joint projects in various industries. Both leaders expressed belief that the meeting in Ashgabat would help to identify new prospects for cooperation.
During the talks, taken place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and constructiveness, a wide range of issues of the Turkmen-Korean relations were discussed, the priorities of the interstate cooperation were specified. Confirming the mutual commitment to increase cooperation in the trade and economic sphere, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in also emphasized the importance of strengthening humanitarian and cultural contacts.
The head of the Republic of Korea also focused on the affinity of the ethnic roots of the Turkmen and Korean peoples that provides a platform for the development of sincere friendly relations. The guest underlined that it was a high honour for him to start his tour of the countries in Central Asia with Turkmenistan.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged the views on a number of important issues of the regional and international agenda.
The talks continued with the participation of the official delegations of the twocountries. As it was noted, this is the first visit of Moon Jae-in to Turkmenistan as the head of the Republic of Korea, which gives this meeting a special character.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that bilateral relations between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea had been actively developing in recent years in a wide range of areas. This is facilitated by a systematic political dialogue established between two countries at the high levels. It allows building up interstate relations for the future, coordinating approaches on key issues of international and regional policy, identifying the main vectors of interaction, making long-term plans for cooperation in the economy, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian areas.
The importance of developing Turkmen-Korean inter-parliamentary relations and regular contacts between foreign ministries was also noted.
President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov underlined that cooperation in the international arena was built based on the coincidence or similarity of our countries’ positions on major issues of world politics.
Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea work together on practical solutions to such issues as non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and disarmament, the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and other types of cross-border crime.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed the position of the Turkmen side on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
As emphasized, Turkmenistan, as a state with an internationally recognized status of permanent neutrality, is pursuing a course towards the practical implementation of the fundamental principles and norms of the UN Charter, aimed at maintaining peace and ensuring international security.
In this regard, Turkmenistan has always advocated the peaceful settlement of all issues on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and consultation.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov: “Turkmenistan welcomes the rapprochement process of two Korean nations”.
During the talks with the President of the Republic of Korea, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov underlined that Turkmenistan welcomed the process of rapprochement of the two Korean states that started last year.
Turkmen leader emphasized that Turkmenistan supported the New North policy of the Republic of Korea, aimed at strengthening relations between the countries on the Eurasian continent.
Underlining the similarity of the two countries’ views on global sustainable development, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed gratitude for the support provided by the Republic of Korea to the international initiatives put forward by Turkmenistan in the field of energy security, sustainable transport and environmental protection.
In turn, Turkmenistan welcomes the proposals put forward by Korea in the United Nations with the aim to ensure peace, universal security and comprehensive development as well as supports the Republic of Korea during elections to reputable international organizations.
President of Turkmenistan said that following its foreign course, Turkmenistan focuses on three main directions – energy, transport and water diplomacy. The selection of these priorities is not occasional, all of these are important component of global strategies and concepts, which have been adopted by the UN and aimed at sustainable development.
