Azernews.Az

Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov arrived in Azerbaijan for a two-day official visit on Monday, the first visit by a leader of the Central Asian state in the past 12 years.
Berdymukhamedov first had a one-on-one meeting with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The two discussed prospects for developing Azeri-Turkmen cooperation and the role the two leaders are playing in expanding relations between the two countries. Aliyev stressed that Berdymukhamedov's visit would give an incentive to deepening bilateral ties.
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan signed seven documents in conclusion of the talks, including the agreements on cooperation between the chambers of commerce and finance ministries, and a protocol on interaction between foreign ministries. The papers also covered cargo transportation, standardization, metrology and accreditation, as well as cooperation in the area of youth and sports.
In a statement issued by the two leaders after the signing, President Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan were enjoying "a high level of mutual understanding on all issues". He emphasized that economic relations were strengthening, while political ties were becoming regular.
"We are pleased with our multi-faceted cooperation. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are two dynamically developing independent states. Both countries possess natural resources. Economic growth rate in both countries is on upward trend. We are interested in expanding cooperation among countries," Aliyev said.
Berdymukhamedov, in turn, said both countries were looking to forge close cooperation. A new stage has begun in political dialog, which is proven by mutual visits. The establishment of the inter-governmental commission is a graphic example of this.
Berdymukhamedov said Ashgabat backed a speedy signing of an agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea by the littoral states. "It is this agreement that will underscore good neighborliness ties and the Caspian's being a sea of security and peace."
The Turkmen leader said energy cooperation was high on the agenda during his visit. "We talked not about competition but economic benefits," he added.
While in Baku, the Turkmen president will attend the opening of Turkmenistan's embassy which has been shut down for the past seven years.
Azerbaijan's embassy in Turkmenistan opened with the signing of a decree by former president Heydar Aliyev in April 1997, while the Central Asian state opened its embassy in the South Caucasus republic the following year.
The relations between the two countries were severed after a dispute over the possession of Caspian oil fiends in 1999. In 2001, the Turkmen government recalled the ambassador from Azerbaijan under the pretext of financial constraints.
International analysts say the Turkmen leader's visit being paid for the first time in over a decade chiefly aims to discuss exports of energy resources through the Caspian Sea. Moreover, there are a number of interested third parties intensely watching the visit to see how the two countries plan to use their vast gas reserves. The value of gas to be transported runs to tens of billions of dollars.
The NABUCCO and trans-Caspian pipeline projects to pump gas from the resource-rich Caspian and Central Asia regions to Europe by-passing Russia were to be one of the key issues tabled by the Azeri and Turkmen leaders.
Some may say that discussions to that end have been under way for 10 years with no tangible result. But senior editor at the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, John MacLeod, says that other Caspian states not interested in Azeri-Turkmen cooperation - Iran and Russia - should not be entirely blamed for this. The two countries were not cooperating due to tension in the relations between their leaders as well.
"What really divided the two countries was that Heydar Aliyev and Turkmenbashi represented the heritage of the Soviet Union, if you will. They did not want to understand each other, and couldn't have either. Heydar Aliyev had a strong personality, while Niyazov was a reserved man. Imagine that even diplomatic ties between the two countries were frozen."
The analyst said the disputes over Caspian oil reserves flared up because the two leaders were unwilling to make amends.
But bilateral relations warmed up after Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was elected Turkmen president two years ago. Rising world crude and gas prices have also prompted the two young leaders to advocate for common interests and boost cooperation.
Turkmenistan's long-standing problem is that its access to major gas transportation lines is only through Russia. A pipeline route to Iran is available, but is not considered a major outlet. The pipeline to take Turkmen gas to China via Kazakhstan may be commissioned as late as in a year. In other words, finding a route to export energy resources to Europe by-passing Russia actually meets Ashgabat's interests.
The Turkmen government said Azerbaijan had repaid the remaining bulk of debt it owed to the country since the early 1990s - $44.8 million - ahead of President Berdymukhamedov's visit. Ashgabat stressed that the fact the arrears issue had been unresolved for many years delayed the development of bilateral relations.
The debt emerged as a result of gas purchases from the Central Asian state. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan disagreed on the amount of the arrears. But after Azeri-Turkmen relations normalized, the two countries succeeded in ironing out the differences.