OREANDA-NEWS. On 19 February 2009 was announced, that the two-day official visit to Iran by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has resulted in signing of bilateral documents "aimed at raising the relations between the two friendly nations to a qualitatively new level."

During the high level talks, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad exchanged views over a wide range of issues concerning partnership between Turkmenistan and Iran on bilateral basis as well as within the framework of big international organizations of which the two countries are members, the Turkmenistan.ru correspondent reports from Ashgabat quoting the press service of the president of Turkmenistan.

The sides discussed pressing issues of regional and international politics, namely the issue related to the settlement of the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The sides noted the importance of implementing the project on construction of the North-South transport corridor as the best route for transportation of goods between Asian and Europe. In this context, the sides also discussed the pace of construction of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran transcontinental railway. It was noted that representatives of railway bodies of the two states would soon settle all issues related to constructing a railway stretch connecting Turkmenistan with Iran.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad signed a joint communique. Other documents signed there included an agreement between the governments of Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran on setting up the Turkmen-Iranian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation; a memorandum on cooperation in the gas sector, and a memorandum between the foreign ministries of Turkmenistan and Iran on mutual consultations.