Talks between the leaders of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Croatia in Ashgabat

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesic held the talks in Ashgabat.

Cordially greeting the honorary guest in the Turkmen land Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov thanked Stjepan Mesic for accepting the invitation to visit Ashgabat. Sharing the heartfelt recollections of the previous meetings with the Croatian leader – in New York last year at the 62nd session on the United Nations General Assembly and in Bucharest this April at the NATO Summit the Turkmen President expressed belief that the present meeting would be an important step towards further intensifying the intergovernmental dialogue with the friendly and constructive nature originally characteristic of it.

Thanking Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for the heartfelt welcome Stjepan Mesic said that he was glad to have an opportunity to visit Turkmenistan and continue the dialogue initiated earlier about mutually advantageous co-operation. Stjepan Mesic noted that the people of Croatia and he personally devoted much attention and interest in Turkmenistan’s progress that from the first day of electing Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov President of Turkmenistan had been resolutely advancing along the path of the progressive reforms. The guest reaffirmed the Croatian business circles’ intense interest in the very promising Turkmen market that was vividly evidenced by the membership of the government delegation accompanying the Croatian leader on the visit to Turkmenistan

Stjepan Mesic invited Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to pay an official visit to the Republic of Croatia. The Turkmen leader accepted the invitation with gratitude. The dates of the visit would be adjusted through the diplomatic channels.

During the meeting views on a broad range of the issues of Turkmen-Croatian co-operation were exchanged. The sides specified the priority fields of business partnership, which, in mutual opinion, had the considerable potential and resources and built on the long-term basis. These fields included fuel and energy sector, industry, transport and communication, trade, telecommunications, tourism and recreation industry. The sides focused on humanitarian co-operation calling for establishing the close contacts in the spheres of culture, science and education. The leaders discussed the issues of international policy of mutual interests.

Then the government delegations of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Croatia joined in the talks.

Cordially greeting the honorary guest and the delegation of the friendly country Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that it was the Croatian leader’s first visit to Turkmenistan viewed as the start of an important stage in the history of the Turkmen-Croatian relations. The Turkmen leader expressed belief that the results of this visit would lay the reliable foundation for further co-operation.

The Turkmen leader said that our states had much in common; they had gained independence quite recently and in the same period though managed to accumulate the positive experience of economic, cultural and humanitarian partnership over these years. Being the full parties of international relations both Turkmenistan and Croatia contributed actively to the global efforts to tackle challenges of the modern world. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan highly respected Croatia’s proposals aimed at maintaining peace, security and stability at the regional as well as global levels. In this regard the Turkmen President expressed sincere gratitude to the friendly country for supporting Turkmenistan’s initiatives aimed at establishing and maintaining the climate of mutual understanding and confidence on the planet, intensifying constructive collaboration for sustainable development.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov specified further development of the Turkmen-Croatian political dialogue in the bilateral format as well as in the framework of the authoritative international organisations such as the United Nations and OSCE as a field of co-operation. In this regard the Turkmen leader focused on the reasonability of conducting the regular consultations between the foreign ministries of Turkmenistan and Croatia and suggested conducting the first consultations in Ashgabat this year.

Touching upon the issues of trade and economic partnership Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated that the level of the Turkmen-Croatian trade turnover did not conform to the countries’ existing potential and resources. The Turkmen leader called for establishing the direct business contacts between the interested ministries and departments as well as companies and enterprises of the two countries. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on the role of the chambers of industry and commerce of Turkmenistan and Croatia in fostering mutually advantageous co-operation. In this regard welcoming the Turkmen-Croatian business forum in the Turkmen capital the Turkmen President suggested considering the opportunities of organizing and holding the trade fairs in Ashgabat and Zagreb in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Specifying the fields of partnership Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that the Croatian companies’ expertise would be in great demand by Turkmenistan’s oil and gas industry with due regard to the industry development conception stipulating for developing the extractive and processing infrastructures and petrochemical industry as well. The large-scale plans required additional investments, advanced technologies and up-to-date equipment that provided the vast opportunities for concerting mutually beneficial efforts.

The very promising fields of co-operation included transport and communication. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited the Croatian transport and shipbuilding companies to collaborate in the projects on construction of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway and modernization of the Turkmenbashi sea port.

The Turkmen leader said that co-operation in tourism industry with Croatia known worldwide for its wonderful resorts and unique natural sites was viewed as very promising. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan attached paramount importance to development of tourism and health resort industry on the basis of the country’s profound potential and resources and invited the Croatian partners to collaborate in the Avaza National Project on creation of the world-class resort on the Caspian Sea coast.

The Turkmen President defined collaboration in the spheres of education, science and culture as an important component of the Turkmen-Croatian relations and suggested working out the programme on cultural co-operation between Turkmenistan and Croatia at the intergovernmental level.

Focusing on the necessity of intensifying the scientific and academic contacts Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed the Turkmen partners’ willingness to establish the direct contacts with the research and educational centres in Croatia. The Turkmen leader said that it would be useful to study the opportunities of exchanging students, teachers and postgraduate students.

In conclusion the Turkmen President called for establishing the bilateral Turkmen-Croatian commission for co-operation noting that this practice had proved its effectiveness as a reliable mechanism of working out the approaches to intensifying mutually advantageous partnership.

Then the floor was given to President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesic. Thanking for the heartfelt welcome the Croatian leader emphasized that from the first moment of his staying in Ashgabat he could felt the hospitality and cordiality of the hosts – the beautiful and proud Turkmen people.

Stjepan Mesic said that Turkmenistan and Croatia – two young independent states with the rich ancient history. He emphasized that everything the people of Turkmenistan had achieved they achieved by their labour and creative talent, and what was more important, in the atmosphere of peace and unity. This was the very important achievement, the honorary guest emphasized, and the Croatian people as nobody else were able to appreciate it.

The Croatian leader noted that the priorities of Croatia’s foreign policy strategy included integration in the European Union and along with it – development of the constructive relations with different countries worldwide including Turkmenistan. Stjepan Mesic noted that Croatian-Turkmen co-operation had every requisite to be closer and more effective, especially with due regard to that Turkmenistan and Croatia had never competed on the world market and could act as the partners pursuing the common aim to guarantee the better future to their peoples. The guest said that the ways of fostering the intergovernmental dialogue in mutual interests had been the focus of the top level talks, and a current task was to specify the approaches to implementation o the joint plans. The Croatian President stated that he supported the Turkmen leader’s proposals essentially responding to the Croatian partners’ plans and intentions.

In conclusion Stjepan Mesic said that he had invited Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to pay an official visit to Croatia and the invitation had been accepted.

The talks demonstrated the partners’ willingness to establish full-scale co-operation. Then the ceremony of signing the bilateral documents took place in the Marble Hall of the Presidential Palace.

The sides signed the Agreement on Bilateral Cooperation between the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Turkmenistan and the Croatian Chamber of Economy, the Protocol on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, the protocols of intention between the Ministry of Communication of Turkmenistan and the Ericsson Nikola Tesla Joint Stock Company (Republic of Croatia) and between the company and the Ministry of Railway Transport of Turkmenistan.

To the applause of those present Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Stjepan Mesic affixed their signatures to the Joint Communiqu?.

Then the leaders of Turkmenistan and Croatia held the brief press conference.

Addressing the press conference Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan and Croatia had established and actively maintained the constructive dialogue bringing it up to a higher level meeting the mutual interests. The Turkmen President noted that as the contacts were expanded the reciprocal endeavours to establish full-scale partnership were intensified. The top level talks had specified the priorities of partnership, harmonized and defined concretely the further steps towards achieving the designated goals including the most important one – to concert efforts to maintain peace, security and sustainable development.

Touching upon trade and economic co-operation Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that in this sphere Turkmenistan and Croatia had a broad field for applying the mutual interests conditioned by the countries’ complementary potentials. In this regard the Turkmen President put emphasis on the significance of the first Turkmen-Croatian business forum in the Turkmen capital. The Turkmen leader informed of the agreement to hold the trade fairs in Ashgabat and Zagreb in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan was open for wide co-operation in various spheres and took the concrete steps to make the abundant Turkmen market more attractive for foreign companies and investors. The Turkmen leader cited the construction of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway and creation of the Avaza world-class resort on the Caspian Sea coast as the examples of the ongoing large-scale projects, which could profoundly benefit from the Croatian companies’ profound expertise. The sphere of transport and telecommunication provided the vast opportunities for collaboration.

Specifying humanitarian co-operation as a dominating theme of the Turkmen-Croatian top level talks Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that the Croatian leader had supported Turkmenistan’s proposal to work out the special programme at the intergovernmental level stipulating for holding joint cultural actions such as exhibits, festivals, days of cinematography. The Turkmen leader stated with satisfaction that the sides had agreed to enhance the contacts in the sphere of education and science.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that one could say with certainty that the foundation of a new transcontinental bridge, the bridge of friendship and co-operation between Turkmenistan and Croatia, whose peoples were united with the clear and understandable desire to build their safe and happy future together had been laid in Ashgabat.

Stjepan Mesic noted that it gave him and the members of the Croatian government delegation great pleasure to be in Ashgabat on that day. Characterizing the top level talks as exceptionally constructive the Croatian leader said that the agenda had included a broad range of the issues of Turkemn-Croatian co-operation as well as the issues of international policy of mutual interest.

Stjepan Mesic said that the sides had stated the proximity or coincidence of the approached to the key aspects of collaboration – at the intergovernmental level as well as in the framework of the leading international organisations, first of all the United Nations. Stjepan Mesic emphasized that Croatia like Turkmenistan considered the United Nations Organisation the most effective mechanism of tackling challenges of the modern world, maintaining global peace, stability, combating terrorism and drug trafficking. Taking an opportunity the Croatian leader personally expressed gratitude to Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the people of Turkmenistan for supporting Croatia’s candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Touching upon the bilateral relations the Croatian President said that their big history had started on that day. Stjepan Mesic noted that it was quite obvious that all the conditions and opportunities for developing the fruitful Turkmen-Croatian dialogue existed and the partners could intensify this dialogue through working out the legal framework, the reliable legal basis that the building of mutually advantageous partnership would be constructed on.

In conclusion the Croatian President expressed belief that Turkmen-Croatian co-operation had the wonderful prospects, and therefore the common task was to confirm this belief in practice in the nearest future.