India and Turkmenistan signed four agreements, including financial intelligence and disaster management, as President Ram Nath Kovind met his Turkmen counterpart Sardar Berdimuhamedov here on Saturday to expand bilateral trade and energy cooperation to further strengthen the multi-faceted partnership. agreed upon. This is the first visit of the President of India to independent Turkmenistan and it comes just after the inauguration of the new President of Turkmenistan, Berdimuhamedov.
During his meeting with President of Turkmenistan Berdimuhamedov today, President Kovind held detailed discussions on the prospects of the state and bilateral relations and also exchanged views on various regional and international issues of importance. We have agreed to intensify efforts to further strengthen our multi-faceted partnership. Economic ties strengthen bilateral ties. We agreed to do more to expand bilateral trade which remains modest. “Our business communities should deepen their engagement, understand each other’s rules and identify new areas of trade and investment,” the president said in a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The two leaders highlighted the importance of the Ashgabat Agreement on the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the International Transport and Transit Corridor. The official Twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan said, “President Ram Nath Kovind paid floral tributes and planted a sapling at the Independence Memorial in Ashgabat.”
Another tweet read, “President Ram Nath Kovind meets representatives of ITEC, ICCR, Hindi Studies and Friends of India in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.” President Kovind attended a banquet with a musical evening hosted by President Berdimuhamedov. Later both the leaders went to the artists to appreciate their performance.
He also laid a wreath at Kipchak Mausoleum in Ashgabat. In his conversation with Berdimuhamedov, President Kovind pointed out that the Chabahar port built by India in Iran can be used to improve trade between India and Central Asia.
Cooperation in the field of energy was one of the major areas of our discussions today. The President said that on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, I suggested that technical and expert-level meetings could address issues related to pipeline safety and key business principles. Asked whether the issue of TAPI pipeline might come up during the talks, Secretary West in the Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Verma told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday that “If you look at the geography, it is a difficult neighborhood. In a sense, it was a job of negotiating the pipeline in itself.” “Thereafter it is on record that India has some concerns regarding the commercial and commercial aspect of the TAPI pipeline and this is being discussed,” he said, adding that the President’s visit was “where we stand” on the issue. There would be another opportunity to reconsider. ,
During the talks between President Kovind and his Turkmen counterpart, the two countries also identified new areas of cooperation such as disaster management. Kovind expressed India’s willingness to partner with Turkmenistan in its drive towards digitization and said space can be another area of mutually beneficial cooperation. Our countries share centuries of civilization and cultural ties. During the conversation, I underscored the importance of holding regular cultural events in each other’s regions. The President said that we emphasized the need for both countries to cooperate closely on the effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting our populations.
Turkmenistan is an important partner for India in India’s Central Asia Summit framework, which was first hosted by India in January this year. He said that we have agreed to further enhance cooperation within the framework of the India-Central Asia Summit.
President Kovind thanked Turkmenistan for India’s initiative for permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council as well as for India as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the period 2021-22. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India attaches importance to its relations with Turkmenistan.
“The President’s state visit will reaffirm our importance to Turkmenistan not only bilaterally but also in terms of our extended neighborhood concept and role in the India-Central Asia partnership,” Verma told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday. Turkmenistan has huge reserves of natural gas.
Verma said, “Turkmenistan is also strategically located in Central Asia and connectivity is something on which we think the partnership with Turkmenistan will pay dividends. We have extended USD 1 billion of loans to Central Asian countries including Turkmenistan. offered.” President Kovind’s visit to Turkmenistan will be followed by a state visit to the Netherlands on April 4-7 at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
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