New Chapter Opened in Ashgabat-Tehran Ties: Turkmen President
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow on Wednesday said his Iranian counterpart’s visit to Ashgabat could open a new chapter in the relations between the two neighboring countries.
Bilateral ties between Iran and Turkmenistan have witnessed a significant progress in the new era (of relations), the Turkmen president said in a joint press conference with the visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Ashgabat.
“Iranian and Turkmen nations have lived together for centuries in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere, and are very close to each other today,” Berdimuhamedow stressed, saying that he is pleased with the growing trend of bilateral relations between the two countries.
He further hailed President Rouhani’s visit to the Central Asian country as “a historical visit” with “warm and friendly” meetings, and expressed the hope that it could lead to the reinforcement of Tehran-Ashgabat cooperation.
Iran and Turkmenistan have had official diplomatic relations since the latter’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Islamic Republic was the first nation to recognize Turkmenistan as an independent country.
The two countries have maintained good relations ever since and have cooperated in the economic, infrastructure and energy sectors.
Iran is one of Turkmenistan’s major trade partners. It exports machinery, construction materials, sedans, buses, food stuff, agricultural and petrochemical products, electrical products and home appliances to Turkmenistan, and imports natural gas, electricity, textiles and agricultural products from its northern neighbor.