Today, the opening ceremony of the II Turkmen-Uzbek interregional forum and national exhibition of Uzbek goods was held in the building of «Türkmeniň ak öýi», located in the administrative centre of the Lebap velayat - the city of Turkmenabat.

The ceremonial event, which was given a special festive flavour by the performances of musical and song ensembles, was attended by heads and representatives of ministries and departments, regional administrations, public organisations, the media of our country and members of the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Expanding cooperation with Central Asian countries on the principle of good neighbourliness is among the priorities of the foreign policy strategy successfully carried out under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. In this regard, special attention is paid to relations with the Republic of Uzbekistan, which are based on mutual respect, trust and common interests. It should be noted that the pace of interaction between the regions of the two countries is consistently increasing, as fully demonstrated by the II Turkmen-Uzbek Interregional Forum, as well as the National Exhibition of Uzbek Goods.

Trade and economic partnership occupy a special place in the framework of multifaceted interaction between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which also shows active dynamics in the fuel and energy sector, in agriculture, culture, science and education, which contributes to the rapprochement and strengthening of centuries-old ties of friendship between the two fraternal peoples.

Today, cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan is enriched with new content thanks to the targeted efforts of the heads of the two states, and this is clearly seen in the successful implementation of agreements reached during mutual visits at the highest level.

...The forum participants got acquainted with the products manufactured in Uzbekistan presented at the exhibition.

As was emphasised at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the current event fully demonstrates the successes in building up relations between the regions of the two countries in various fields.

At present, both countries are significantly strengthening cooperation in the area of priorities of socio-economic development and national interests of each side. In this regard, achievements in the implementation of large joint projects were noted.

The exhibition exposition presents products and services from large government agencies and private companies of the neighbouring state, which indicates the interest of Uzbek manufacturers in long-term cooperation with Turkmen partners.

The exhibition area includes pavilions of companies engaged in the mining, metallurgy, oil and gas, electric power and chemical industries, mechanical engineering, in the production of building materials, household appliances and food products, medical supplies, as well as in trade.

The current exhibition is of decisive importance in the context of expanding bilateral business partnerships, increasing mutual trade turnover, and establishing new contacts with companies and investors.

At the same time, the exhibition will significantly expand and establish direct lines of communication between the business circles of both countries.

In the afternoon, meetings were held between business representatives of the two friendly states.

As noted, the priorities of Turkmen-Uzbek cooperation include activating business contacts, creating joint ventures, and exchanging practical experience in applying the latest technological developments and creating an innovative economy.

It was emphasised that the reforms being implemented, the enormous economic and export potential of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which have enormous natural resources, open up prospects for developing a constructive dialogue in various fields. At the same time, in the context of building up bilateral partnership, attention was focused on the current event.

Then the work of the forum continued in the format of a round table.

As noted at the conference «Development of cooperation in the field of trade: creation of favourable factors and support for entrepreneurship», Uzbekistan is a key economic partner for Turkmenistan. Among the potentially promising areas of cooperation were the agricultural sector, energy, chemical industry and petrochemicals, mechanical engineering, textile and pharmaceutical industries. In this context, the presence of enormous opportunities for bilateral contacts in the line of business was emphasised.

During the conference «Cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian field: exchange of experience in the cultural and humanitarian direction, interaction in the line of science and education, prospects for the development of the tourism industry» thematic issues of partnership were discussed. Humanitarian partnership based on the spiritual and cultural values that have historically united the two nations is a key factor in the accelerated development of interstate relations, which have acquired a steadily increasing dynamic in recent years. Today, positive experience has been accumulated in this area, thanks to which the bilateral dialogue has been significantly strengthened.

On the same day, a joint concert of masters of arts of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan was held at the State Music and Drama Theatre of the Lebap Velayat named after Seyitnazar Seydi.

The II Turkmen-Uzbek Interregional Forum and the National Exhibition of Uzbek Goods continue their work.