OREANDA-NEWS. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s official visit to the Republic of Austria started on November 16.

The President’s airplane landed at the Vienna-Schwechat International Airport decorated with the national flags of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Austria. The Chief of the Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Melita Schubert and other official persons greeted the Turkmen leader at the international airport. The children dressed in the national Austrian costumes presented Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov the bouquets of flowers.

The interest in this country situated in the very heart of Europe and serving as the connecting point between West and East for many years is quite natural. Today Austria ranks among the developed countries of the Old World and leads in the European Union by the standards and quality of life. It is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country with the profound potential and vast opportunities for mutually advantageous partnership.

Turkmenistan and the republic of Austria established the diplomatic relations 16 years ago – in November 1992. Over these years the two countries signed 7 bilateral documents at the interstate, intergovernmental and interdepartmental levels. The embassies of Turkmenistan and Austria are accredited in both countries. In Turkmenistan the Austrian companies actively collaborate in the projects on construction and reconstruction of economic facilities as well as development, exploration and extraction of hydrocarbon resources in particular.

The work of the Turkmen-Austrian intergovernmental commission profoundly contributes to success of bilateral co-operation that is proved by the steady increase of Turkmen-Austrian trade turnover. The commission first met in the Turkmen capital this April. According to the Ministry of Economy and Development of Turkmenistan, as of November 1, 2008 21 projects involving the Austrian companies amounted to USD 203 million, 0.43 million euros and 1.7 million German marks were registered in the territory of Turkmenistan. The major part of the projects is implemented in oil and gas and printing industries, agriculture, trade, healthcare and other important fields. 13 enterprises with the share of the Austrian capital are registered in the territory of Turkmenistan, of them 4 are legal entities.

Though not only by trade and economic co-operation binds Turkmenistan and Austria. The countries share the views on the international policy issues. Both Turkmenistan and Austria build the foreign policy that evolves from the status of permanent neutrality. The two countries adapt their neutrality to the new global environment by actively advocating the beneficial international dialogue without violence and aggression. A vivid illustration of the position that Turkmenistan adheres to is opening the headquarters of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat – the largest peacemaking agency in Central Asia.

Thus, this visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Austria evidences the reciprocal interest and willingness to intensify co-operation established over these years in both bilateral and multilateral formats. The upcoming talks with the leadership of the Republic of Austria – a full member of the European Union since January 1, 1995 can be regarded as a new step towards intensifying the dialogue with the European Union that is apriority of the foreign policy of the Turkmen state.

Energy co-operation will be the focus of the upcoming talks in Vienna that is conditioned by Turkmenistan’s profound hydrocarbon potential as well as the increasing interest of the European community in Turkmen gas export. Steering a steady course of establishing wide international co-operation in the common interests Turkmenistan more actively puts forward its idea of diversification of its energy export to the world markets and the European markets as well, initiates a number of the large-scale investment projects on transnational gas pipelines construction. All these gas main lines can be connected to the European network in future serving as an alternative source of fuel for the EU member countries. In this regard Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s initiative on security of the global energy infrastructure that was welcomed and recognized worldwide is deemed very timely. The Turkmen leader’s initiative on the effective solutions to water use problems stands as an essential factor for the welfare and sustainable development of the Central Asian region.

Thus, at the new historical stage both countries demonstrate the reciprocal willingness to bring traditional co-operation at a higher, qualitatively new level meeting the existing huge potential and interests of the peoples of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Austria. That is vividly illustrated by the package of the documents to be signed during the Turkmen leader’s visit to Austria and called to specify the priority fields of co-operation and considerably expand the scope of traditional bilateral co-operation built on the principles of equality and mutual benefit. The dominants of the Turkmen-Austrian top level talks include humanitarian co-operation serving as a guarantor of further successful development of the intergovernmental dialogue.

The programme of the three-day official visit includes a series of the important bilateral talks aimed at creating powerful incentives to develop co-operation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Austria. The economic forum involving the business community of Austria is to foster the fulfillment of the Turkmen-Austrian agreements.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is planning to hold the meetings with the representatives of the international organisations accredited to Vienna such as the OSCE Secretariat, the headquarters of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and some of the UN agencies and organisations that Turkmenistan has been building the dialogue for the common welfare for the past years.