Lavrov: Russia values political, economic dialogue with Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT. Feb 3 (Interfax) - Moscow is interested in dialogue with Turkmenistan on Central Asian affairs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in his opening remarks at negotiations with Turkmen counterpart Rasit Meredow.
"We are inspired by the meeting with the Turkmen president at which we looked into the entire range of our relations in the context of the agreements reached by our presidents and drew up a work plan for the near future. We value our dialogue and its emphasis on political, trade, economic and investment matters," Lavrov maintained.
"We invariably value the attention you are giving to the Russian language. We also have a significant interest in the discussion of global affairs, including those in progress in our region, the interaction with the United Nations and the forthcoming celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War [of 1941-1945], the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and the 40th anniversary of the OSCE," he said.
The Russian minister said it was a good opportunity to evaluate the current position of mankind and to promote a fairer and more predictable world.
Meredow thanked Lavrov for visiting Turkmenistan despite his busy schedule. "This is a good chance to exchange opinions on cooperation in bilateral and international affairs. We view your visit as an important moment in our relations. We also see our cooperation as sustainable and growing," he said.
The Turkmen minister thanked Lavrov for bolstering bilateral relations.
