OREANDA-NEWS. On August 10, 2009 President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Turkmenistan Masaharu Kono who presented the credential letters to the Turkmen leader, reported the Official website turkmenistan.gov.tm.

Expressing gratitude for the opportunity of a personal meeting the diplomat conveyed the heartfelt greetings and best wishes of Emperor Akihito emphasizing that the leadership of Japan welcomed active development of the fruitful intergovernmental dialogue that had been intensified in recent years. It was noted that intense interest of the Government and business circles of Japan in developing bilateral cooperation was conditioned by the dynamic growth of Turkmen economy and the Turkmen leader’s energetic and prudent policy that allowed Turkmenistan to play the key role in the Central Asian region and on a world arena.

Thanking for the heartfelt wishes Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed the cordial wishes and gratitude to Emperor Akihito for the invitation to pay a visit to Japan and said that he intended to visit Japan during this year. Congratulating Mr. Masaharu Kono on the appointment to the high diplomatic post the Turkmen leader wished him every success in performing the important mission to strengthen the ties of friendship and mutually advantageous cooperation.

During the meeting the President and his guest exchanged views on the important aspects of Turkmen-Japanese collaboration and the prospects for intensification of it in mutual interests.

The President said that Turkmenistan highly valued the relations of friendship and mutual understanding that the Turkmen and Japanese peoples were rightfully proud of and laid the firm foundation of the modern intergovernmental relations and stated with satisfaction that the Turkmen-Japanese dialogue had been filled with a new content in recent years. That was illustrated by a number of the joint projects implemented in collaboration with the leading Japanese companies including Itochu, Komatsu, Mitsubishi and others. In this regard the sides highly appreciated the projects on modernization of the fuel and energy sector and supply of Komatsu road building and earth-moving that was engaged in construction of the Turkmen Lake in the Karakum Desert.

The diplomat assured that Japan was interested in further intensification of cooperation and stood ready to offer its expertise and advanced technologies and actively collaborate in the unprecedented reform programmes implemented in Turkmenistan to intensify wide international cooperation and guarantee wellbeing and happiness to the Turkmen people.

Highly appreciating the profound potential of intergovernmental cooperation the sides focused on the need for effective employment of it in a wide range of the fields including trade and economy, energy, science, education, sport and tourism in particular.

In conclusion the Japanese diplomat thanked the Turkmen leader for the heartfelt welcome and assured that he would spare no effort to successfully enhance Turkmen-Japanese cooperation built on a long-term basis and the principles of equality and mutual confidence.