KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Turkmenistan strengthened their bilateral ties further, following a two day official visit to the central Asian country by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.
In his November 10 to 11 visit, Anifah called on Turkemenistan president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as well as holding bilateral talks with his Turkemenistan counterpart Rashid Meredov.
The courtesy call on Berdimuhamedov took place in a warm and cordial atmosphere with discussion covering a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern.
“Both sides stressed the importance of developing a comprehensive cooperation in the trade and investment, oil and gas industry, transportation, culture, education, tourism and people-to-people contact, which will contribute positively towards strengthening relations between Malaysia and Turkmenistan,” Wisma Putra said in statement today.
The President of Turkmenistan also expressed his appreciation for Malaysia’s continuous involvement in the oil and gas sector in Turkmenistan, it said.
Anifah thanked the President and the Government of Turkmenistan for the opportunity given to Petronas and reiterated that both countries will continue to develop new areas of cooperation in various other fields for the benefit each other.
In his meeting with Meredov earlier, both ministers pledged to utilise bilateral mechanisms such as Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) or Political-Economic Consultations to further enhance bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Turkmenistan.
“They also exchanged views on regional and international issues including the situation of Rohingya minorities in Myanmar, situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Palestine.
“The meeting has reflected the close understanding and the common views that both ministers shared in fostering a strong relation between Malaysia and Turkmenistan, Wisma Putra said.
During his visit, Anifah also delivered a lecture on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy and Malaysia-Turkmenistan bilateral relations at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan to the faculty members, students and young diplomats at the institute.
“The Official Visit by The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia has successfully laid the strong foundation for further cooperation and collaboration between the two countries since his last visit to Turkmenistan on 12 December 2015,” Wisma Putra said.