PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN GURBANGULY BERDIMUHAMEDOV TOOK PART IN THE SUMMIT OF SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

On June 24, 2016 President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who had arrived a day before on a working visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan, took part in the summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization. As is known, the Turkmen leader had been invited to the SCO summit as a special guest.

The venue of the next meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO member states became the State Residence "Kuksaroy". Before the beginning of the SCO Summit in an expanded format, in the Hall of the press conferences the official joint photo session of the participants - heads of states and delegations, as well as heads of international organizations took place.

To participate in the SCO Summit in Tashkent arrived the heads of states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -  President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon as well as  heads of the States with observer status at the SCO, - President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The Islamic Republic of Iran was represented by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

At the SCO summit also arrived leaders and senior representatives from several international organizations, including UN Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, the Chairman of the Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev, Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Le Luong Minh and others.

 After the official photo the meeting of the SCO summit in an expanded format started its work at the Congress Hall.

Speaking at the meeting, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov thanked the organizers of the SCO summit for the invitation to participate in this important and representative meeting as a guest of honor, also expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, and in his face to all the Uzbek people for the hospitality and warm welcome.

President of Turkmenistan underlined that the interaction with the SCO is an important component of our country's foreign policy, aimed at ensuring stable and balanced progress of regional processes, the active economic and trade partnership, the creation of conditions for the implementation of major international infrastructure projects. And that is why Turkmenistan views the development of relations with the SCO in an organic connection, with forward progress of bilateral cooperation, as well as with the general orientation of their participation in the regional processes.

President said that Turkmenistan believes the potential of the SCO can and should be used to preserve a strong balance of regional security, conflict prevention, the approval of the negotiating tools as the only acceptable means of solving them, and expressed our country's readiness to actively cooperate with this organization in the implementation of these the most important tasks.

In continuation of the theme the head of state said that the current summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in the year of the 15th anniversary of its formation. During this time, the SCO built a solid institutional and legal framework of operation, clearly defined priorities for its activities in the long term, and gathered a long positive experience of partnership. Concluding his speech, the President congratulated the heads of states, governments and members of the delegations participating in the forum, on this auspicious occasion and wished them success and prosperity. 

 After the meeting, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov headed for the airport "Tashkent-1", from where the departed home.