Today, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov returned to Ashgabat, completing a two-day working visit to Saudi Arabia, during which he took part in the first summit of the heads of state of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and Central Asia, the Turkmen television news program Watan reported on the morning air.
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) was established in 1981. Six countries are members of this regional organization: The Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The current summit, which was chaired by the Crown Prince, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was attended by the leaders of the member countries of the Council and the Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the General Secretary of the GCC.
In his speech at the summit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov came up with a number of initiatives.In particular, he spoke about the expediency of creating a permanent mechanism - the Conference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries of Central Asia and the GCC.
To increase cooperation, the head of Turkmenistan proposed to establish the Transport Committee of the countries of the "Central Asia - GCC" format, and also announced the initiative to form a Joint Working Group on Energy, the function of which would be to analyze the potential of collective activities in this area and provide advice.
In addition, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov announced the readiness of Turkmenistan to organize the first investment forum of the states of Central Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council in 2024, put forward an initiative to form a new platform for interaction in the field of culture, namely the “Cultural Dialogue” of Central Asia and the GCC, proposed to consider the issue of establishing the Ecological Council of the Central Asian States and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov also voiced a proposal to hold the Medical Congress of the Central Asian and GCC countries in Ashgabat in 2025 and announced his readiness to host the first International Sports Games of the Central Asian States and the Gulf Cooperation Council in Turkmenistan.
On the same day, as part of a working visit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with the Crown Prince, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Upon its completion, the head of Turkmenistan proceeded to the International Airport named after King Abdulaziz, from where he left for his homeland.
At the Ashgabat International Airport, the President of Turkmenistan was met by officials.
In a conversation in the air harbor, a representative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia warmly congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on a successful visit and participation in the summit.
At the same time, it was emphasized that the initiatives voiced by the head of state are designed to give a long-term character and stability to the entire complex of interstate and interregional partnerships.