President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov will take part in the first summit of heads of state in the Central Asia-Italy format, which will be held on May 30 in Astana. This was announced by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov during a government meeting, TDH writes.

As the head of the foreign policy department noted, the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with European countries is one of the priority areas of Turkmenistan's foreign policy. Diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and Italy were established in 1992.

"Our countries constructively interact in the political and diplomatic sphere, within the framework of authoritative international organizations," Meredov emphasized. According to him, Italy is a co-author of eight resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly on the initiative of Turkmenistan.

The Minister noted the productive nature of the trade and economic partnership and the established cooperation with a number of large Italian companies. Turkmenistan and Italy also fruitfully interact in the cultural and humanitarian spheres and in the field of archeology. The contractual and legal basis of bilateral relations consists of 37 documents.

Visits and high-level meetings play a key role in the development of interstate dialogue. In 2009 and 2019, the President of Turkmenistan made official visits to Italy, and in 2015, a working visit. In 2014, the Prime Minister of Italy paid a working visit to Turkmenistan.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that the Central Asia – Italy format opens up a new direction for effective cooperation and expanding its range. The head of state emphasized the role of the upcoming summit in strengthening mutually beneficial partnership between the countries of Central Asia and Italy.