President Margvelashvili visits Turkmenistan
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, December 16
The President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili paid an official visit to Turkmenistan. In Ashgabat, Margvelashvili held a meeting with the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow on December 15. The Georgian and Turkmen sides have signed several joint documents, which will facilitate the enhancement of cooperation in the spheres of economics, including trade, transport and tourism.
The document signed with regard to transport envisages bilateral cooperation in the field and facilitation of transport and people’s movement between the two countries, as well as the facilitation of transit issues to third countries via Georgia and Turkmenistan.
A memorandum signed regarding tourism encourages the support of individual tourism and exchanging of organized groups, as well as supporting joint projects in the tourism direction and training the tourism sector and hotel staff.
The two countries’ Trade and Commerce Chamber heads signed a document of collaboration for development of existing enterprises, trade and commerce organizations and companies.
President Margvelashvili thanked his counterpart for supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and admitted that Turkmenistan is an example of the country that develops in a peaceful way.
“I shared my concern with my colleague in terms of the situation in the Georgia’s occupied regions. I want to admit here as well that Georgia is the country that not only supported Turkmenistan’s neutrality resolution of the UN in 1995, was its co-author as well,” Margvelashvili said.
Margvelashvili emphasized Georgia’s geopolitical importance, especially in the context of signing the Association Agreement with the EU and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the organization.
“The two countries’ close relations in various fields have a big future,” Margvelashvili said.
Turkmenistan’s President stressed that he had a fruitful meeting with Margvelashvili and admitted that the two countries close relations are significant for both sides.
“There is much resource our signed agreements and collaboration to be fruitful. Through signing the transport, tourism and economic agreements we will make our relations deeper,” He said, adding that security and defense issues were also discussed.
“The world faces such problems as terrorism and extremism currently-these are real threats. We agreed to collaborate in security directions as well,” Berdimuhamedow said.
The President also stressed that deepening of cultural relations was also important.
“We agreed that Turkmenistan’s days will be held in Georgia and Georgia’s days in Turkmenistan,” he said.
Within the visit, the Georgian President also visited the Monument of Independence of Turkmenistan, the Mausoleum of the first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov and the National Museum of Turkmenistan.
The Georgian delegation was represented by the Minister of Economy, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Deputy Foreign Minister Davit Jalaghania, the president of Georgia’s Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Kakha Baindurashvili, the National Security Secretary, Irine Imerlishvili, the Head of the President’s Administration, Davit Pataraia and the President’s advisers, Giorgi Abashishvili and Tengiz Pkhaladze.
