OREANDA-NEWS. January 23, 2009.President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Head of the Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN Secretariat Alexey Tikhomirov.

Greeting the Turkmen leader the guest said that he was glad to have an opportunity to again visit Turkmenistan that the United Nations viewed as dependable and responsible partner. Alexey Tikhomirov emphasized that the constructive policy built by the Turkmen leader on the principles of positive neutrality stood as an essential factor for enhancing peace and security in the region and had won recognition and support of the international community.

Noting that Turkmenistan attached paramount importance to the enhancement of the fruitful dialogue with the United Nations Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that this dialogue built on a long-term basis met the strategic goals of Turkmenistan’s policy aimed at developing wide international cooperation in the common interests. In this regard the Turkmen leader expressed satisfaction at the high dynamics of bilateral partnership that had been filled with the new content in recent years in regard to Turkmenistan’s initiatives and the opening of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia in Ashgabat.

The sides exchanged views on the priority trends and further development of Turkmenistan-UN cooperation in the context of the ongoing reforms in the country and under a number of the large joint projects. In particular, taking account of the tasks to upgrade the domestic economy and better public management the President and his guest discussed the aspects of collaboration in training high qualified professionals, applying innovative technologies and other fields.

The sides characterized energy cooperation as an exceptionally promising field of partnership in respect of the implementation of the UN Resolution on the Reliable and Stable Transit of Energy and Its Role in Ensuring the Sustainable Development and International Cooperation approved at the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly on the initiative of Turkmenistan. In this regard Alexey Tikhomirov said that the initiative put forward by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had been widely supported by the UN member states which had expressed the willingness to collaborate to achieve such a strategic goal as energy security.

Noting that the high-level international conference which would be held in Ashgabat on April 23-24 would be an important step to foster this cooperation the sides discussed the issues related to the preparations for this large forum aimed at building the platform of further constructive collaboration to tackle the urgent problems and achieve global energy security.

In this regard the sides emphasized that the Government of Turkmenistan closely collaborated with the United Nations in preparing for the international conference.

Showing satisfaction at this information and emphasizing that adhering to the policy of wide international cooperation hydrocarbon-rich Turkmenistan stood ready to place its energy potential at the service of the whole mankind Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov thanked the UN high-ranking official for taking the constructive approach to partnership and called for further expansion of it.