Assa-Irada,
19, May 2008

Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov arrived in Azerbaijan for a two-day official visit on Monday, the first visit by a leader of the Central Asian state in the past 12 years.

Berdymukhamedov first had a one-on-one meeting with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The two discussed prospects for developing Azeri-Turkmen cooperation and the role the two leaders are playing in expanding relations between the two countries. The two leaders stressed that Berdymukhamedov's visit would give an incentive to deepening bilateral ties. Presidents Berdymukhamedov and Aliyev further had broad meetings.

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan signed seven documents in conclusion of the talks, including the agreements on cooperation between the chambers of commerce and industry and finance ministries, and a protocol on interaction between foreign ministries. The papers also covered cargo transportation, standardization, metrology and accreditation, as well as cooperation in the area of youth and sports.

In a statement issued by the two leaders after the signing, President Ilham Aliyev cited the high level of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in recent years, emphasizing that economic relations were strengthening, while political ties were becoming regular.

"We are pleased with our multi-faceted cooperation. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are two dynamically developing independent states. Both countries possess natural resources. Economic growth rate in both countries is on upward trend. We are interested in expanding cooperation among countries," Aliyev said.

Berdymukhamedov, in turn, said both countries were looking to forge close cooperation. A new stage has begun in political dialog, which is proven by mutual visits. The establishment of the inter-governmental commission is a graphic example of this.

"Talks have been held between the two countries on holding an oil and gas summit in Baku in September. Besides, we could develop cooperation in the transport sector as well," Berdymukhamedov said, adding that his country has done a great deal of work in developing its transport infrastructure.

While in Baku, the Turkmen president will attend the opening of Turkmenistan's embassy which had been shut down for the past seven years.

Azerbaijan's embassy in Turkmenistan opened with the signing of a decree by former president Heydar Aliyev in April 1997, while the Central Asian state opened its embassy in the South Caucasus republic the following year.

The relations between the two countries were severed after a dispute over possession of Caspian oil fiends in 1999. In 2001, the Turkmen government recalled the ambassador from Azerbaijan under the pretext of financial constraints.

International analysts say the Turkmen leader's visit being paid for the first time in over a decade chiefly aims to discuss exports of energy resources through the Caspian Sea. Moreover, there are a number of interested third parties intensely watching the visit to see how the two countries plan to use their vast gas reserves. The value of gas to be transported runs to tens of billions of dollars.

The Turkmen government said Azerbaijan had repaid the remaining bulk of debt it owed to the country since the early 1990s - $44.8 million - ahead of President Berdymukhamedov's visit. Ashgabat stressed that the fact the arrears issue had been unresolved for many years delayed the development of bilateral relations.

The debt emerged as a result of gas purchases from the Central Asian state. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan disagreed on the amount of the arrears. But after Azeri-Turkmen relations normalized of late, the two countries succeeded in ironing out the differences.