During the past 25 years of good neighborliness between Iran and Turkmenistan, the two sides have enjoyed cordial relations.
The two nations have always enjoys unbreakable bonds and Tehran has always announced that it will never forget its friend in hard times.
Iran-Turkmenistan cooperation is not limited to political relations, but it has different dimensions and sources of pride and well-known characters like Makhdoom Quli Feraghi have tied culture of the two countries.
In the past 25 years, the two countries have supported each other in international organizations and Iran was the first state to recognize Turkmenistan as an independent state.
The relations between Iran and most countries of Caucasia and central Asia enjoy the advantage of both historical backing and mutual trust and friendship between the nations.
In an indication of fostering mutual cooperation, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently traveled to Ashgabat for a day-long visit. Representatives from 30 economic companies, industrial and banking institutes were also accompanying him in this visit.
Zarif described a growth in the country’s export of non-oil products, including technical and engineering services, as a main purpose of his recent tour of regional countries, which has taken him to Turkmenistan.
While in Ashgabat, Zarif held compressed negotiations with senior Turkmen officials, participated in an economic conference and delivered a speech in Turkmenistan Foreign Relations Institute.
He also attended the ceremony for the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan independence and beginning of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
“We are here to celebrate officially the 25th anniversary of close and sincere relations between Iran and Turkmenistan, and we are glad that in a region with chaos, terror and extremism, the two countries, as two secure and stable states, have wide political, economic, cultural relations,” Zarif said.
He also underlined that Iran and Turkmenistan are standing together in the region for stability in Afghanistan, tranquility in Central Asia and to fight extremism and terrorism.
All-Out Ties
Zarif conferred issues of mutual interest and bilateral relations with Turkmenistan President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and discussed the latest regional and international developments.
The two sides also underlined improvement of all-out ties between the two states and explored avenues for development of bilateral relations.
The Turkmenistan president referred to historical ties between Iranian and Turkmen people and said that the friendly and brotherly relations between Tehran and Ashgabat have been always increasing on a daily basis.
It is for years that Iran and Turkmenistan have good relations in various fields of politics, economy and culture, he added.
The official said that consultations between Iran and Turkmenistan have been always fruitful.
The Turkmenistan president asked Zarif to convey his greeting to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Zarif, for his part, conveyed President Rouhani’s congratulation for Berdymukhamedov re-election.
“As the Iran’s Leader said during his Excellency visit to Tehran, we are relatives and we feel to be in our brothers’ home when we are here in Ashgabat,” Zarif said.
He underlined that Iran-Turkmenistan relations have always benefited the two countries and paved the way for consolidation of peace and stability in the region and the world.
New Chapter
Zarif also met with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Muradov and examined ways to strengthen bilateral relations, as well as to discuss the regional issues.
Attaching a great significance to Zarif’s visit to Ashgabat, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Muradov pointed out the visit has paved the way for expansion of mutual ties.
Muradov also said the meetings and negotiations with Iranian officials have opened a new chapter in the relations between the two countries.
Long-Term Cooperation
Long-term cooperation with Ashgabat in on Tehran’s agenda, Zarif said during Iran- Turkmenistan business conference in Ashqabat.
During the conference, Zarif noted President Berdimuhamedow’s emphasis on development of economic cooperation based on national currencies, adding “we can begin transactions with national currencies.”
“Iran was the first country to recognize the newly-independent republics and it is a great honor for us to have been standing by the nation and government of Turkmenistan for the last 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties,” he stressed.
Zarif noted that Iran is a reliable partner, adding “we will pursue our long-term cooperation such as the agreement between Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Oman to establish a transit line which has also been welcomed by India.”
“The areas of transportation and infrastructure can contain fruitful negotiations between the public and private sectors of the two countries,” he added.
Mutually Beneficial Partnership
Back in February, Berdimuhamedov stressed the importance of developing the trade and economic relations with Iran for the strengthening of mutually beneficial partnership.
"By increasing its economic potential, our country pays special importance to the modernization and diversification of the economic complex, widely introducing the latest technologies and advanced design," he added
The Turkmen president said that this causes great interest of foreign partners, including the Iranian businessmen, aspiring to take their place in the Turkmen market, Azernews wrote.
Iran and Turkmenistan share a common border of more than 1000 km and have enjoyed cordial relations since Turkmenistan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Islamic Republic of Iran was the first nation to recognize Turkmenistan as an independent nation. Since then, the two countries have enjoyed good relations and have cooperated in economic, transportation, infrastructure development, and energy sectors.
Iran buys almost a third of Turkmenistan's exported gas for heating in winter and other use in the country’s northern provinces which are far from southern hydrocarbon fields.
There is also a railway link between the two neighbors, stretching over 926 kilometers up to Kazakhstan. It is emerging as a vital route to link the Central Asia to the Persian Gulf and beyond.
Given enormous potentials which exist for cooperation, the Iranian and Turkmen officials believe that there .
Your Comment