On the 3rd of November the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the President of the Federal Council of the Republic of Austria Ms. Christine Schwarz-Fuchs.

Expressing gratitude for the time devoted to the meeting, the guest noted that Austria attaches great importance to the development of the friendly relations established with Turkmenistan and, taking the opportunity, conveyed warm greetings to the head of state from the Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen.

Warmly welcoming Ms. Christine Schwarz-Fuchs, the President Serdar Berdimuhamedov conveyed his best wishes to President Alexander Van der Bellen. As was emphasised, the Republic of Austria is one of Turkmenistan’s longstanding partners in the European region. Cooperation between the two countries is consistently developing on the principles of mutual respect, friendship and mutual understanding.

It was noted that the interstate political and diplomatic dialogue is fruitful in nature. At the same time, emphasis was placed on the fact that our countries cooperate successfully not only in the bilateral but also in the multilateral format, in particular within the framework of the United Nations. The largely coinciding foreign policy courses of Turkmenistan and Austria, based on the principles of neutrality, serve as a basis for coordinating actions in the international arena.

Arkadagly Hero-Serdar particularly stressed that parliamentary diplomacy serves as an effective tool in strengthening international partnership. In this context, it was noted that a key role in the development of interstate dialogue is assigned to Turkmen-Austrian interparliamentary interaction.

Continuing the meeting, the Head of State stated the expediency of broad use of the opportunities of parliamentary diplomacy in working out solutions to topical issues of the bilateral and international agenda, and in exchanging experience in the sphere of lawmaking.

Touching upon the topic of bilateral trade and economic partnership, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted with satisfaction that for many years Austrian companies have been making a significant contribution to the development of the Turkmen economy. In particular, it was emphasised that interaction between the two countries is being successfully expanded in the area of procurement of transport equipment, advanced medical, chemical, and oil and gas equipment.

At the same time, the importance of the activities of the Joint Turkmen-Austrian Commission for the full utilisation of the bilateral economic potential was noted. In this context, readiness of Turkmenistan to continue supporting the Commission’s active position as a coordinator between state bodies and the private sector was confirmed.

Emphasis was also placed on the importance of cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere for strengthening interstate relations, bringing peoples closer together and mutually enriching cultures.

Noting that the National Day of the Republic of Austria had recently been celebrated, the Head of State, taking the opportunity, once again cordially congratulated Ms. Christine Schwarz-Fuchs and the people of the friendly country on this significant date.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the President of the Federal Council of the Republic of Austria, expressing confidence in the further development of effective cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries, exchanged best wishes.

State News Agency of Turkmenistan