Parliamentary Delegation Led by the Chairperson of the Mejlis Pays a Working Visit to Turkey

Thanks to the support and initiatives of the President of Turkmenistan, broad opportunities are being created to expand cooperation between the Mejlis of the country and the parliaments of other nations. In this context, it is noteworthy that on February 24–25, the parliamentary delegation of Turkmenistan, led by the Chairperson of the Mejlis, D. Gulmanova, paid a working visit to Ankara, the Republic of Turkey. During the visit, the Turkmen delegation held a bilateral meeting with the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş. The importance of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption, at the initiative of Turkmenistan, of the Resolution "2025 – International Year of Peace and Trust" was emphasized. In this regard, the Turkmen side expressed its gratitude to the Republic of Turkey for its support. Confidence was expressed that the meetings and negotiations held during this visit would contribute to the further strengthening of inter-parliamentary relations. It was also noted that Turkmenistan highly values cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries and is ready to develop it further in all directions. As highlighted, parliamentary dialogue is an important component of deepening interstate cooperation, and the parliamentary friendship groups established on a bilateral basis facilitate experience exchange in legislative activities and the development of parliamentary diplomacy. During the talks, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey proposed that the Mejlis of Turkmenistan become a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States. The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, expressing sincere gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan as well as the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Hero-Arkadag, for their constant attention to the activities of the OTS (Organization of Turkic States), requested that reciprocal greetings and best wishes be conveyed to the Turkmen people. Following the negotiations between the leaders of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, a meeting with representatives of the mass media took place. As noted, the accumulated positive experience of cooperation is of great significance for the further development of equal and mutually beneficial relations between Turkmenistan and Turkey, including in the field of international law. During the visit of the Turkmen parliamentary delegation to Ankara, the Chairperson of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, D. Gulmanova, met with the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The head of the national parliament conveyed warm greetings and best wishes to the Turkish people on behalf of the President of Turkmenistan, as well as on behalf of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Hero-Arkadag. Additionally, on behalf of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Hero-Arkadag, an invitation letter was presented to the President of the friendly country to participate in a high-level international forum in Ashgabat in December this year. The forum will mark the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality and the International Year of Peace and Trust, with the participation of heads of state and leaders of international organizations. The President of the Republic of Turkey expressed sincere gratitude for the invitation to the upcoming forum to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, as well as the President of Turkmenistan. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proudly emphasized that Turkey supported the UN General Assembly Resolution "2025 – International Year of Peace and Trust," adopted at the initiative of Turkmenistan. The head of the Republic of Turkey also expressed heartfelt gratitude for being awarded the honorary title "Hormatly il ýaşulysy" by the Decree of the President of Turkmenistan on the occasion of his 70th birthday. He stressed that this was a great honor for him, and he regards this title as a symbol of the fraternal relations between our nations. During the meeting, it was noted that an agreement was reached on the supply of Turkmen natural gas to Turkey via Iran under a SWAP arrangement. Furthermore, the leader of the friendly and fraternal country emphasized his respect for Turkmenistan’s neutral status and expressed his anticipation of Turkmenistan’s membership in the Organization of Turkic States. At the conclusion of the meeting, which was held in a friendly and positive atmosphere, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asked Chairperson D. Gulmanova to convey warm greetings to the President of Turkmenistan and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Hero-Arkadag, as well as wishes for prosperity, success, and well-being to the fraternal Turkmen people. As part of the cultural program of the visit, the Turkmen delegation visited the first building of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and its museum, as well as Ankara Fortress and the ancient city district of Hamamönü. Members of the Turkmen parliamentary delegation also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Anıtkabir memorial in honor of the first President of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Thus, the working visit of Turkmen parliamentarians to the Republic of Turkey demonstrated that the relations between the Turkmen and Turkish peoples, bound by historical roots, cultural and spiritual commonality, are currently developing on the principles of mutual respect, trust, and equal cooperation in all areas, enriched with new content. Source: State News Agency of Turkmenistan

27.02.2025