OREANDA-NEWS. July 11, 2011. The Intergovernmental Turkmen-Armenian Commission for economic cooperation held the third meeting in Ashgabat. The high-level delegation led by Armen Movsisian, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia had arrived in the Turkmen capital to participate in the meeting.

The heads and leading specialists of a number of ministries and departments of the two friendly countries participated in the forum, which was held in the conference hall of the President Hotel. The meeting agenda covered a wide range of issues related to the whole spectrum of bilateral cooperation.

The meeting participants focused with satisfaction on the multifaceted format of dynamically developing Turkmen-Armenian cooperation, which had been given a powerful impetus to develop during the official visit of the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsian to Turkmenistan last November. It was noted that the top level talks had initiated a new stage in the history of interstate relations, and the agreements reached in Ashgabat, in particular the package of the documents aimed at intensifying fruitful bilateral partnerships, brought the traditionally friendly dialogue to a qualitatively new level meeting the interests of the Turkmen and Armenian peoples.

Underlining the significance of the Commission’s activity that facilitated fulfilling the tasks to promote intergovernmental cooperation, the meeting participants noted that its decisions had been implemented in whole judging from the results of the work done since the second meeting, which took place in Yerevan in April 2010.

The important steps were taken to strengthen the regulatory framework of cooperation, and the bilateral agreements signed between Turkmenistan and Armenia in the trade and economic sectors and the spheres of education, science and culture in particular laid a reliable foundation for the fruitful dialogue. In this context the Commission members stated that trade between the two friendly countries had increased several times in 2010 and the first half of 2011 as it was promoted to a larger extent by the economic exhibitions and the Turkmen-Armenian business forums held in our countries last year. Emphasis was also put on the tremendous potential to intensify collaboration in the spheres of science and education where the programme of cooperation between the Turkmen State University and the Yerevan State University for 2010-2015 was successfully implemented.

During the first day of the meeting participants specified the priority fields of further mutually beneficial partnerships given modern realities and national interests. These included the trade and economic, fuel and energy, chemical, transport and communication and agricultural sectors.

Underlining the increasing mutual interest in expanding traditional relations based on friendship and mutual understanding, the Commission members discussed the approaches to enhancing close humanitarian contacts particularly in the sphere of education, science and health care. Special attention was paid to the tasks to intensify scientific and technological cooperation between academic institutions in the two countries. The meeting participants unanimously called for strengthening and expanding cultural contacts as an important component of Turkmen-Armenian relations through holding art forums and days of culture as well.

Upon concluding the meeting, the sides signed the bilateral protocol.