OREANDA-NEWS. January 19, 2009. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Commander-in-Chief of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) General David Petraeus who had arrived to the Turkmen capital leading the representative delegation.

Thanking for the opportunity of a personal meeting the guest conveyed the heartfelt greetings of the leadership of his country – current President George Bush and newly elected President Barack Obama to the Turkmen leader. The CENTCOM high-ranking official said that the U.S. Government intended to further multi-aspect cooperation with Turkmenistan viewing this partnership as a key factor of security in the Central Asian region.

Emphasizing that peace and stability were an essential factor for sustainable development and welfare of the peoples Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s adherence to close international cooperation for the global progress. The Turkmen leader said that his country stood ready to intensify effective collaboration with the United States noting that the intergovernmental dialogue had been actively developed in recent years.

The sides discussed the further development of partnership in the traditional fields of bilateral cooperation, in particular the sphere of education, and in achieving global security and tackling threats and challenges of the modern world.

U.S. Charge d'Affaires a.d. to Turkmenistan Richard Monroe Miles attended the meeting.