The first official visit of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has started on April 28.

Marking a new page in the history of the Turkmen-Afghan relations the Turkmen leader’s visit takes place against the background of the intergovernmental dialogue noticeably intensified and enhanced by the agreements achieved during the top-level bilateral talks last summer. During the official visit of President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai to Ashgabat the partners reaffirmed mutual endeavours to establish fruitful co-operation meeting the interests of the region. The dialogue was continued during the leaders’ meeting at the NATO Summit in Bucharest.

Pursuing the policy of good neighbourliness and wide international co-operation from the first days of independence Turkmenistan assigns a special role in the foreign policy strategy to its southern neighbour, with whom it has the long border - over 900 kilometres as well as the centuries-old ties of friendship and fraternity of the Turkmen and the Afghan peoples.

Having won the reputation of the country-peacemaker neutral Turkmenistan was among the initiators of settling the Afghan conflict and hosted several rounds of the inter-Afghan talks.

Nowadays, Turkmenistan provides overall assistance in building the peaceful, constructive life and supplies electric power and liquefied gas at the reduced prices to Afghanistan. After assuming office President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov issued the Resolution writing off Afghanistan’s debt for Turkmen electrical power to the sum of almost US$ 4 million as an act of goodwill. In accordance with the agreements achieved during the top-level talks last July Turkmenistan supplied electrical power to the sum of US$ 300,000 free of charge and reconstructed a 2-km section of the railway in Afghanistan on own account. The reconstruction works amounted to US$ 550,000. This winter, our country provided the humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan and supplied food products, diesel fuel and warm clothes to the people residing in five northern provinces of Afghanistan.

As of April 1, 2008 Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan concluded 20 international documents, a half of which - at the intergovernmental level.

In accordance with the documents the countries accredited the embassies and consulates to Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, implement the joint projects on construction of energy facilities in Afghanistan as well, opened the branches and representation offices of the Afghan enterprises in Turkmenistan, enhance the trade and economic relations that is proved by the steady growth of trade turnover between the two countries, which made up over US$29 million in the first quarter of the current year.

Turkmen exports make up a major part of the Turkmen-Afghan trade turnover. Turkmenistan exports electric power as well as agricultural products, textile goods and chemicals, scrap iron, ferrous and nonferrous materials, etc. Turkmenistan imports food products, construction materials from Afghanistan.

Implementing joint projects is a priority of Turkmen-Afghan relations. As of April 1, three projects to the total sum of US$9.8 million implemented by Turkmen power engineers in Afghanistan. Under the contracts Turkmen specialists are engaged in constructing the energy facilities in the Balkh Province, the Serhetabat-Gerat 220 kWt power transmission line and reconstructing the energy supply system in the Turghundi settlement in the Gerat Province.

42 enterprises with the Afghan capital, of them 38 are the legal entities were registered in Turkmenistan. Most enterprises are engaged in retail and wholesale trade, export-import and production activity including manufacturing claydite-cement blocks and leather and fancy goods.