Azerbaijani-Turkmen ties dynamically developing: President Aliyev
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev received Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, who is on a two-day visit to Azerbaijan, on April 2.
Meredov conveyed greetings of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to the Azerbaijani president.
He also handed over Berdymukhamedov's letter to President Aliyev inviting him to pay an official visit to Turkmenistan.
Meredov also hailed the current friendship relation between the heads of two states as a special bond contributing to expansion of bilateral ties.
President Aliyev described Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan ties as dynamically developing.
The head of state said peoples of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have ancient history and ethnic roots, adding that the two countries enjoy active cooperation in various fields.
President Aliyev also stressed the significance of personal ties between heads of states and high-level meetings in expanding bilateral relations.
The head of state also expressed hope that Meredov's visit to Azerbaijan will pave the way for more relations.
As part of the visit, Turkmen FM met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
During the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction with the relations between the two countries.
They discussed further development of political, economic, trade and humanitarian relations as well as strengthening the cooperation within the framework of international organizations.
The parties also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
Later, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade received the Turkmen delegation and the sides discussed ways to further develop relations between the two nations.
Rasizade and Meredov lauded the current level of ties, expressing the necessity of further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.
They said Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have huge potential to implement joint projects in the fields of energy, transport, agriculture and culture.
Other issues of mutual concern were also discussed during the meeting.
The Azerbaijani State Customs Committee said the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $88.15 million in 2013. More than half of this volume fell to the import of Turkmen production to Azerbaijan. Its volume amounted to $48.3 million. The exports from Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan amounted to $39.85 million.