OREANDA-NEWS. October 11, 2010. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to pay official visit to the State of Qatar on October 11-12, 2010.

The constructive and consistent foreign-policy strategy pursued under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov lays the foundation for strengthening the positions of our state on the world arena and enhancing its role in addressing global and regional policy challenges. In this context, the expansion and intensification of friendly relations and mutually beneficial partnership with countries of the Arab world are actualized as the key priorities of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy. The Turkmen leader underscored the need to pay particular attention to the further development of traditional bilateral relations with countries of the Middle East, many of which have made great progress in the socio-political, economic and humanitarian spheres in recent years.

One of these countries bound with Turkmenistan with historical and cultural affinities, is the State of Qatar. Over many centuries our peoples maintain close trade, cultural and spiritual contacts, which are filled with a new content and meaning in the contemporary epoch of relations between two friendly states.

Over the past decades Qatar has gained impressive achievements in the socio-political and socio-economic life. Today, Qatar is one of countries in the world with up-to-date and extended infrastructure including sea ports, highways and air routes, oil and gas pipelines and telecommunications networks. Qatar’s economy is based on production and export of natural gas and petroleum. As is known, through the years Qatar ranks among the top countries producing natural gas and exporting liquefied gas to world markets. Also, Qatar has strong oil refining, petrochemical, chemical and metallurgy industries.

The balanced government policy enabled Qatar to successfully integrate into the system of international political and economic relations. The effective state policy aimed at creating the favourable investment climate and attracting foreign investments into the national economy is carried out.

The State of Qatar plays a significant role in international politics, takes active approaches to tackling critical issues put on the regional agenda. Qatar is a member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other international organisations.

Turkmenistan and the State of Qatar established diplomatic relations on November 22, 1996 by signing the Joint Communique in New York. Our states have similar and close views on global development challenges and promote constructive relations in the bilateral format as well as in the framework of international organisations. Both Turkmenistan and Qatar pursue the peace-loving foreign policy and are committed to the principles of global peace and security, socio-economic progress of nations and states.

Through the years of cooperation our countries have put forward the foreign policy initiatives aimed at maintaining friendly relations and partnership. Effective contacts established at interdepartmental level between the two states in recent years laid a firm groundwork for bringing cooperation between Turkmenistan and Qatar to a higher level. Today, when Turkmenistan actively develops relations with countries in the Arab Middle East, the Turkmen leader’s visit to Qatar is deemed to be quite relevant and timely.

Long-term partnership has revealed the profound potential and good prospects for cooperation in a number of sectors of particular importance for both economies. Given the fact that our states have the enormous reserves of natural gas and oil, huge infrastructure capabilities and profound export potential, Turkmenistan and Qatar have common interests in this field. This is vividly illustrated by Qatar’s support for Resolution of the UN General Assembly on the Reliable and Stable Transit of Energy Resources and Its Role in Ensuring Sustainable Development and International Cooperation initiated by the President of Turkmenistan that was unanimously adopted by UN member-states in 2008.

Closeness or similarity of views on issues in contemporary politics as well as commitment to search jointly optimal solutions of burning problems will enable to strengthen peace and cohsion, stability and security. This is one of the essential factors for furthering ad expanding equal and fruitful partnership between Turkmenistan and Qatar.

Based on the great potential of Turkmenistan-Qatar cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats as well as the interests, resources and achievements of the two states, a critical issue on the agenda of partnership between Turkmenistan and Qatar is deemed to be intensification of cooperation in the social and economic, cultural and humanitarian, scientific and educational spheres. In this regard, historical and cultural contacts, the active positions of the two states on the world political arena as well as the readiness for a fruitful dialogue are the important factors determining high dynamics of interstate relations.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s official visit to the State of Qatar will become a qualitatively new stage in the history of relations between the two states and nations giving a positive incentive to expand cooperation and enhance further the role and prestige of Turkmenistan and Qatar across the world.