By developing intergovernmental co-operation, enhancing the business contacts equally advantageous for the Turkmen people and the peoples of other countries Turkmenistan actively integrates in the world community. The last week’s events evidence that vividly and in full. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic’s official visit to Ashgabat, the telephone conversation with RF President Dmitriy Medvedev, the talks with Russian Gazprom, the draft Constitution that absorbed the best national and international practice of state building placed for public discussion, the meetings of the Government focused on further intensification of the country’s economic potential, the progress of the rapid reforms, the preparations for the Olympic Games in Beijing show that the country realizes the national interests in harmonious interrelationship with the outside world.

Openness, receptivity to everything new, peaceableness, tolerance and respect to other people's views traits of the Turkmen mentality developed over millennia, in the present historical epoch have become the major characteristics of the Turkmen people and the policy of their national leader who invariably stands for a constructive dialogue and fruitful co-operation. Building the conception of Turkmenistan’s development in the new historical realities President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov takes into account on the nude fact: in the modern world with everything interrelated it is impossible to achieve the progress, economic wellbeing, social prosperity by enclosing ourselves into the narrow national frames without the achievements common to all mankind.

This approach meets Turkmenistan’s strategic interests and welcomed by the world community. It should be noted that the Turkmen leader’s foreign policy doctrine is based on the concrete actions, constructive initiatives related to consistently implement the potential of co-operation – whether with a country or business partners. Therefore, it is not at all amazing that the Turkmen President’s foreign visits and meetings and talks in Ashgabat related either trade and economic and humanitarian co-operation or the political aspects of the intergovernmental contacts are held in the businesslike and sincere atmosphere.

The current Turkmen-Russian relations vividly exemplify the new format of partnership based on equality, mutual benefit as well as the original traditions of friendship, mutual interest and sympathy that initiates such projects as construction of the Caspian gas pipeline, modernization of the Central Asia-Centre pipeline promoting full-scale implementation of both countries’ energy potential and their expansion on the energy markets of Europe and CIS states. During the telephone conversation last week Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Dmitriy Medvedev reaffirmed the willingness to maintain the dialogue between the two countries, to expand the stipulated fields of concerting efforts. Discussing the prospects of further intensification of effective collaboration the sides stated the necessity to accelerate the process of preparing the agreements on mutual recognition of the certificates of education and cultural and technical co-operation as well as the train ferry between the sea ports of Turkmenistan and Russia. The important agreements were achieved during the meeting between the Turkmen leader and Vice Chairman of Board of Director, Chairman of Board of RF Gazprom Public Corporation Alexey Miller. The sides harmonized the views on the price for exported Turkmen natural gas, which would be set on the market principles and stated the reciprocal willingness to accelerate the construction of the Caspian gas pipeline and to increase the capacity of the Caspian gas pipelines to 30 billion cubic metres of ‘blue fuel’. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Alexey Miller agreed to expand gas co-operation. In particular, Gazprom is to finance and construct gas-transport and gas-field construction facilities in the territory of Turkmenistan on interest-free credit.

That the specific and strong bilateral relations enhance the effectiveness of partnership is proved by Turkmenistan’s relationships with many countries the list of which was expanded last week. The intergovernmental documents signed in the framework of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic’s visit to Ashgabat on co-operation in trade and economic sphere as well, the agreements between the foreign ministries of both countries and the first Turkmen-Croatian business forum with participation of the Croatian leader and the government delegation representing Croatia’s big business companies, the agreements on co-operation in the sphere of telecommunication and information and telecommunication technologies between Ericsson Nikola Tesla – a branch of world-renowned telecommunication giant Ericsson, and the Ministry of Communication and the Ministry of Railway Transport of Turkmenistan – all of that enables to say that the top level meeting became the prologue of long-term and very promising Turkmen-Croatian co-operation.

In a word, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan become the centres of worldwide attraction. The phenomenon of Turkmenistan’s policy is studied by the country’s economic achievements and export capacity as well as how consistently and steadily the democratic transformations are intensified and expanded in the country, how dynamically the civil society is established, the unprecedented social and economic development programmes aimed at increasing the people’s welfare are implemented.

The President keeps saying that the future of the Turkmen state is inseparable from the supremacy of law. Further intensification and expansion of the democratic principles in the life of the state and society, the rights and freedoms of citizens, in Turkmenistan these processes are based on the priority of an individual, the priority of a personality and, respectively, the state concern for the people’s welfare, peace, life and health, are embodied in the draft Constitution placed for public discussion. The constitutional provisions conform to the universally recognized norms of international law being incorporated into the national legislation.

The state and citizens are bound with contractual relationship. We trust the state, the state trusts us. We diligently and selflessly work for the benefit of the country and society, the state returns double creating the necessary conditions for realizing talents, creative abilities of every individual, the comfortable conditions for the life, labour and recreation of every citizen, every family, providing wide access to education and health care of the international standards, comfortable housing and guaranteeing various kinds of social maintenance. Only such relations – the guarantor of genuine stability, unity and solidarity of the society.