HM King and Turkmen president hold talks; 9 deals signed

Ashgabat, Mar. 18(BNA): His Majesty has today held a bilateral session of talks with visited Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow at the presidential palace in Ashgabat. President Berdimuhamedow delivered a speech welcoming HM the King’s visit to his country, announcing that Turkmenistan and Bahrain would celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations. He commended political, trade and economic relations binding the two countries, stressing the importance of the visit which will further expand business cooperation. He also wished the Kingdom of Bahrain further security and stability, led by HM the King. HM the King thanked Turkmen president for the invitation, stressing Bahrain’s strides in the sectors of culture, sciences, medicine, infrastructure and education. He extended an invitation to President Berdimuhamedow to pay an official visit to Bahrain to further bolster bilateral relations and expand joint cooperation. The two leaders then held an expanded session of talks in the presence of delegations representing the two countries. Addressing the session, HM the King recalled the visit of President Berdimuhamedow in 2011, stressing Bahrain’s keenness on following-up on the agreements and memoranda of understanding and strengthening relations. He stressed the importance of developing joint cooperation, underlining keenness on expanding trade, economic and investment ties and exploring oil and gas cooperation. He hailed the neutrality of Turkmenistan, which reflects its commitment to development, security and peace in the Central Asian region and the world. The two sides welcomed the establishment of a joint council between the two countries. Key issues of mutual interest were also discussed between the two leaders. The two leaders then attended the signing of a string of joint agreements and memoranda of understanding. 1.Memorandum of Understanding between Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and the Central Bank of Turkmenistan, signed by CBB Governor Rashid Mohammed Al-Maraj and his Turkmen counterpart Merdan Annadurdiyev. 2.Agreement on the mutual exemption from visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, service and special passports, signed by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Turkmen Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. 3.Memorandum of Understanding in the field of women’s affairs, signed by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Turkmen Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. 4.Memorandum of understanding on joint cooperation in the sector of transportation, signed by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Turkmen Minister of Industry and Telecommunications Takhyrberdi Durkhanov. 5.Memoranda of Understanding on cooperation in the field of e-Government. Signed by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Turkmen Minister of Industry and Telecommunications Takhyrberdi Durkhanov. 6.Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the sector of education, signed by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Turkmen Minister of Education. 7.Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation, signed by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Turkmen Minister of Culture. 8.Memorandum of Understanding between on youth cooperation, signed by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Turkmen Minister of Sport and Youth Policy. 9.Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the sector of tourism, signed by Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani and Turkmen Government Committee for Tourism. HM the King and the Turkmen president hailed the signing of the agreements and the memoranda of understanding which would herald a new phase in bilateral relations binding the two countries. President Berdimuhamedow conferred the medal of Neutral Turkmenistan, , on HM King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, in recognition of his role in supporting bilateral relations binding the two brotherly countries. HM the King thanked the Turkmen president on bestowing on his the highest decoration in Turkmenistan, symbolizing the importance of bilateral relations in all fields.