OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2011. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is arriving on an official visit to Romania on May 11.

The upcoming top-level meeting in Bucharest is to add a new important chapter to the history of the intergovernmental dialogue based on the traditions of true friendship and mutual willingness to intensify further mutually advantageous cooperation that has been promoted significantly in recent years. This is illustrated by the steady dynamics of Turkmen-Romanian relationships evidencing that our countries are invariably interested and stand ready for full partnerships in the bi- and multi-lateral formats within the authoritative international organisations and structures. Given that Europe is a key priority of the foreign policy strategy of Turkmenistan, this visit of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Romania can be viewed as a new step to deepen and expand the dialogue with the European Union.

It will be the third visit paid by the leader of the Turkmen state to Romania for the past three years. In this context it should be noted that President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov participated in the NATO Summit, which took place in Bucharest in April 2008. Addressing the Summit, the Turkmen leader presented the views of independent neutral Turkmenistan pursuing the strategy for constructive equal international cooperation for global peace, security and wellbeing. In July of the same year the Turkmen leader paid the official visit to Romania that became a historic event in the chronicle of intergovernmental relations. This visit resulted in reaching a number of agreements and signing the large package of documents that laid a firm foundation for intensification of bilateral collaboration as consistent with mutual priorities and modern realities.

The official visit of President of Romania Traian Basescu to Turkmenistan in July 2009 became a logical continuation of the top-level dialogue launched in Bucharest. The talks between the leaders of the two states in Ashgabat evidenced convincingly that Romania and the EU as a whole were ready to fill partnerships with Turkmenistan with a new content and quality meeting long-term interests of the parties.

The potential of Turkmen-Romanian cooperation provides ample opportunities for establishing fruitful business contacts in a wide spectrum where concerted efforts are deemed to be most important and effective. These include the trade and economic, fuel and energy, transport and communication, construction, agricultural, processing, tourism and other sectors.

A critical role in promoting mutually advantageous partnerships is assigned to the Turkmen-Romanian Intergovernmental Commission for economic, scientific and technical cooperation which aims its activities at putting bilateral agreements into practice and facilitating productive contacts in all spheres, in particular the entrepreneurship sector. It is noteworthy that the second meeting of this Commission will take place in Bucharest on May 11-12, during the days of the official visit of the leader of Turkmenistan to Romania.

The dominants of intergovernmental relations include certainly humanitarian cooperation. Turkmenistan and Romania have gained positive experience in this sphere and intend to actively enrich further. As is known, today Turkmen students receive higher professional education in Romania, in particular the Oil & Gas University of Ploiesti that the President of Turkmenistan visited during his previous official visit to this European country. There are also the necessary prerequisites to close contacts in the sphere of science and high technologies. Fruitful cultural ties are to contribute to knowing each other better.

Based on the aforesaid, it should be noted that the upcoming Turkmen-Romanian talks in Bucharest as well as successful implementation of intergovernmental are is a direct result of the Turkmen leader’s policy of openness, progressive reforms and wide constructive partnership that has found recognition and support from the international community and earned Turkmenistan the high international prestige. A striking illustration of it is a landmark and at the same time symbolic fact that the Institute of International Relations and Economic Cooperation of Romania, which is one of the major research, analytical and socio-political centres in Europe, awarded the international title of the Person of the Year to the leader of the Turkmen state last year.

Thus, this official visit of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Romania will certainly offer new incentives to strengthen and expand multifaceted partnership between our friendly countries built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis and based on the mutual goodwill and determination to bring the intergovernmental dialogue to a new in principle level meeting mutual interests and quite profound potential.