Photo: tdh.gov.tm.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-In had a telephone conversation today.

Welcoming each other warmly, the heads of the two friendly countries expressed their satisfaction with the opportunity to discuss topical issues of interstate cooperation in a personal conversation.

Expressing his sincere gratitude to his colleague for the constant attention paid to strengthening the Turkmen-Korean dialogue, which has been brought to a qualitatively new level in recent years, the Turkmen leader stressed that the current agenda of bilateral relations covers almost all major areas – foreign policy, economy, cultural and humanitarian areas.

During the constructive conversation, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov thanked the leadership of the Republic of Korea for its full support of Turkmenistan's neutral foreign policy, as well as important initiatives put forward by our country aimed at strengthening peace, universal security and international cooperation for sustainable development.

Having confirmed the closeness or commonality of the two countries ' positions on key issues on the global agenda, the parties agreed to further strengthen mutually beneficial partnership on the world stage.

Speaking about the constructive nature of the established interaction in both bilateral and multilateral formats, the interlocutors highly appreciated the fruitful nature of the work of the Central Asia – Republic of Korea cooperation Forum.

The forum makes a significant contribution to strengthening mutual trust and enhancing contacts between the participating countries in various fields, including energy, transport, ecology, health and culture.

As the head of state noted, the development of trade and economic ties, which are an integral part of the successful activities of Korean companies operating in key sectors of the economy of Turkmenistan, occupies a special place on the agenda of the multifaceted bilateral partnership.

An example of this is the implemented projects for the construction and modernization of oil and gas and gas chemical complexes, in particular, the state-of-the-art polymer plant in the village of Kiyanli.

"Turkmenistan considers the Republic of Korea to be its reliable business partner, with which it intends to continue to increase productive cooperation based on huge potential and mutual goodwill. We welcome the activity of Korean companies and will continue to provide the necessary assistance to their work in our country, " the Turkmen leader said.

The sides agreed on the importance of focusing the foreign ministries of the two countries on continuing and intensifying the partnership and further working out issues of expanding mutually beneficial ties.

One of the results of such close cooperation is another large batch of 400 buses of the world-famous Hyundai brand, currently arriving in Turkmenistan as part of a project to modernize the transport fleet.

Noting the important role of bilateral Intergovernmental committees and Business councils in the development of mutually beneficial relations, Presidents Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Moon Jae-In expressed confidence that the regular meeting of the Turkmen-Korean Business Council held yesterday will contribute to further deepening of interstate trade, economic and investment cooperation.

At the same time, the parties stressed the exceptional importance of traditional cultural and humanitarian ties. In this regard, according to both sides, the partnership in the field of medicine and health care can be very fruitful.

Close cooperation between the relevant departments of the two countries is particularly relevant in view of the extremely serious challenge that all of humanity is facing today – an infectious disease caused by a new type of coronavirus. As it was emphasized, effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic requires joint solidarity steps from the entire international community.

Expressing gratitude to the Korean side for sending medical supplies and personal protective equipment to Turkmenistan, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that he considers this step as a manifestation of friendship and trust between the two peoples.

President Moon Jae-In Congratulated President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the upcoming state holidays and noted that he was delegating a high-ranking representative of the Republic of Korea to participate in these celebrations.

In conclusion, the Turkmen leader assured that expanding cooperation with the Republic of Korea will always be among the priorities of Turkmenistan's foreign policy.

Thanking the Turkmen leader for his proactive approach to building mutually beneficial relations, moon Jae-In noted that he always remembers with special warmth the state visit to Turkmenistan in April 2019. Our country was the first of the Central Asian States that the President of the Republic of Korea visited after taking office.

Confirming his country's interest in intensifying a multi-faceted dialogue with a dynamically developing Turkmenistan, the head of the friendly state invited his Turkmen counterpart to visit the Republic of Korea at any convenient time, when favorable external conditions will be created for another personal meeting, the state news Agency of Turkmenistan reports.