Azerbaijani leader, Turkmen parliament head discuss bilateral ties ahead of Awaza summit

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed bilateral relations on Wednesday with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan.

“Having discussed issues of expansion of bilateral interaction in the economic sphere, interlocutors underlined the significance of the joint Turkmen-Azerbaijan intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation, the regular meeting of which was held in (Azerbaijan’s capital) Baku on November 29, 2022,” said Turkmen state news agency Altyn Asyr.

The report also noted that Aliyev and Berdimuhamedov hailed the signing of a January 2021 memorandum of understanding on the joint exploration, exploitation, and development of the Dostluk hydrocarbon field in the Caspian Sea as an “achievement.”

“Interlocutors also touched upon cooperation in the humanitarian field, having spoken for further expansion of interaction in culture, science, education, healthcare and tourism,” the statement added.

The closed-door meeting came on the sidelines of the first summit between the leaders of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan in the western Turkmen city of Awaza.

Aliyev will also hold separate meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the summit.

The People's Council of Turkmenistan is the upper house of the Turkmen parliament.​​​​​​​