OREANDA-NEWS. May 03, 2011. The issues related to further promotion of Turkmenistan-EU partnership were a focus of a meeting with the members of the high-level delegation of the European Parliament led by Mr. Hannes Svoboda, which was held at the Ministry Affairs of Turkmenistan.

It was noted that Europe was a key priority of the foreign policy strategy of Turkmenistan pursued under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and aimed at fostering a constructive dialogue with all countries of the world and major international structures. In this context Turkmenistan views the EC as a strategic partner on the world political arena.

In the present period Turkmenistan maintains fruitful cooperation with European countries in many critical spheres, including within the European Commission, the European Parliament and other authoritative structure. These include a political dialogue, trade and economic ties, and humanitarian contacts.

An important step to intensify collaboration was the visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the EC head-quarters in the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium, Brussels in 2007. This visit laid the foundations for a qualitatively new stage of traditional cooperation between Turkmenistan and EU member states.

It was noted that the official visit of President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso to Ashgabat in January this year gave a new impetus to develop relationships between Turkmenistan and the European Union. During this visit the strategic areas were specified and the possibilities for establishment of closer contacts to elaborate new approaches to building an effective model of partnerships.

Evaluating highly the achievements gained by the Turkmen state on the path of social and economic progress, the head of the delegation of the European Parliament Hannes Svoboda congratulated Turkmenistan on election as a member of three authoritative UN Commissions, including the UN Commission on Population and Development, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Underscoring the existing profound potential to intensify a constructive dialogue, the members of the European Parliament focused on the intention to consistently expand existing contacts as consistent with the EU Strategy for Central Asia and in mutual interests.

The meeting focused on intensification of cooperation on achievements of global reliable transit of energy. It was noted in this context that the European Union supported the constructive initiatives put forward by the leader of the Turkmen state Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov that had drawn a wide response worldwide and the Turkmenistan’s strategy for modernizing the fuel and energy sector and diversifying energy exports, including towards Europe, through using hydrocarbon resources for the benefit of the nations of the world.

In conclusion the meeting participants expressed belief that the friendly, constructive Turkmenistan-European Union, which was brought up to a qualitatively new level nowadays, would be developed further successfully.