A delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov will visit New Delhi and Islamabad from 18 to 20 December. The corresponding Order was signed by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at a government meeting held today, reported the “Vatan” news program of the Turkmen television.

In New Delhi, the Turkmen delegation will take part in the next meeting of the foreign ministers of the states participating in the Central Asia-India Dialogue, in which special attention will be paid to issues related to Afghanistan.

Turkmen-Indian political consultations are also planned in New Delhi.

In Islamabad, the delegation of Turkmenistan will take part in an emergency meeting on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which will be held on December 19.

When signing the document, Berdimuhamedov noted that the further development of close and multilateral ties with the states of the region is the basic principle and priority of his country's foreign policy strategy.

Speaking about the situation in neighboring Afghanistan, the Turkmen leader stressed that Turkmenistan will continue to provide all-round assistance and support to the friendly Afghan people, implement new joint projects that will make a significant contribution to the sustainable socio-economic development of this country and the entire region as a whole. In particular, we are talking about the laying of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, power lines and fiber-optic communication lines Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan, the supply of electricity to Afghanistan on preferential terms, as well as the construction of a railway from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan.

Also, on a regular basis, the neighboring state is provided with humanitarian assistance and all-round assistance in the field of education and health care. A clear confirmation of this was the humanitarian cargo delivered the other day to Afghanistan in accordance with the long-standing good-neighborly relations and humane traditions of the Turkmen people.