OREANDA-NEWS. August 10, 2009. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Afghanistan to Turkmenistan Mohammad Fazel Saifi characterized the opening of the new school and hospital built in the northern provinces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by Turkmenistan and granted to the Afghani friends as another uncontestable evidence of the close ties of age-old Turkmen-Afghani friendship, reported the Official website turkmenistan.gov.tm.

In an exclusive interview to TDH expressing sincere gratitude to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on behalf of President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai and the people of the friendly country the diplomat noted that the new school where children would acquire knowledge and the hospital where hundreds of the residents of the northern regions of the neighbouring country would undergo medical examination and treatment were viewed by the Afghani people particularly as a token of centuries-old unbreakable friendship with the Turkmen brothers, another evidence of genuine kind-heartedness and unselfishness.

“Turkmenistan is the closest and kindest neighbour of our country,” Ambassador Mohammad Fazel Saifi emphasized expressing belief that the bilateral relations would be built further on the goodwill, mutual respect and confidence.

Construction of the new social facilities – the hospital in Garamgol Etrap in Faryab Province and the school for 400 children in Khazara-tokay village in Shordepe Etrap in Balkh Province where a large diaspora of ethnic Turkmen resides is a real embodiment of the humane policy of the Turkmen state to the neighbouring countries, the fraternal peoples that Turkmenistan is always ready to give a helping hand to. The school and hospital are supplied with necessary equipment including household appliances and furniture. The Ministry of Health and Medical Industry financed the supply of medical equipment and medicaments to the hospital. The school is supplied with desks, chairs, computers, textbooks and book including the works created by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

The delegation consisting of the high-ranking officials and specialists of the Ministry f Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, the Ministry of Education, the Humanitarian Association of the World Turkmen and other official persons visited the neighbouring country on August 2-5 on the instructions of the President of Turkmenistan to take part in the ceremonies of opening these important facilities of social and cultural infrastructure. Afghanistan was represented by the Advisor of the IRA President on Religion, deputy ministers of education and health care, governors of the provinces, local authorities, deputies and elders of the Turkmen diasporas, who expressed sincere gratitude to Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the people of Turkmenistan who profoundly contributed to revival and peaceful development of Afghanistan for many years.

“Standing steadfast to the traditions of friendship and good neighbourliness Turkmenistan has always helped and will continue to provide overall support to the Afghani people in social, economic and cultural revival of the country,” the President of Turkmenistan said at the recent sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers noting that cooperation in the spheres of education and health care was an essential factor of strengthening the ties of friendship with Afghanistan.

As is known the Turkmen people follow the rule – to support and develop friendly relations with the neighbouring countries, give a helping hand to their brothers who lie far from the ancestors’ land as the fate willed.

It should be noted that neutral Turkmenistan that gained the reputation of the largest peacemaking centre in the region put forward the initiatives on settlement of the Afghan conflict and provided its territory for holding several rounds of the inter-Afghan talks that became the turning point in the long negotiation process.

Like the whole international community deeply interested in establishing lasting peace and stability in the neighbouring country Turkmenistan ties the large-scale far-reaching plans with Afghanistan, which on the on hand will create the conditions conducive to stabilization of the situation and social and economic development this long-suffering country and on the other hand serve as a powerful factor of enhancement of regional cooperation.

These include the important projects initiated by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the energy and transport sectors of paramount importance not only for the participating countries but also the entire region. Afghanistan pins great hopes on implementation of the project on construction of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline which will cross the territories of these countries and bring warmness and light to their peoples as well as profoundly contribute to increasing their welfare, enhancing peace and security on the entire geopolitical space in South Asia.

Turkmenistan profoundly contributes to developing Afghanistan’s social and economic infrastructure and establishing the peaceful life in the Afghan society by exporting electric power to the southern neighbour at the very low price. Today Turkmenistan is one of the major exporter of electric power to the enterprises and population of Afghanistan.

Providing assistance and support to the Afghani people Turkmenistan provides humanitarian aid on a regular basis. According to the Resolution of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Turkmenistan wrote off Afghanistan’s debt of US\\\\$ 4 million and supplied electric power to sum of over US300,000 free of charge in 2007. The Turkmen specialists reconstructed the 2-km section of the railway from the Turkmen border to the Afghani town of Turgundi to the sum of US550,000 on a gratuitous basis. Another example of the sincere and selfless desire to help the closest neighbour was the humanitarian goods sent to the people in the northern provinces of Afghanistan in the very cold winter in 2007-2008.

Successfully developing the good neighbourly relations that underlie its foreign policy strategy Turkmenistan continues to provide possible assistance to Afghanistan in such vitally important fields as health care and education. During many years our country provides assistance in training highly qualified specialists and free-of-charge medical aid to the population of the boundary regions. Financing construction of the school and hospital is another important step on this path leading to sustainable development of Afghanistan and the region in whole.