Turkmen-Iranian friendly relations
International relations are particularly significant elements of leadership in a global community. As our world grows step by step through technologies and a dynamic international economy, the importance of peaceful and cooperative ties between nations is becoming increasingly relevant. As neighbors who should share peace and prosperity, other Asian countries such as Islamic Republic of Iran have a special relationship. Based on this understanding, the main policy of Islamic Republic of Iran aims at working toward closer relations and better understanding with each other, and making contributions to the stability and development of the two countries. When we talk about the importance of friendly relations with other countries, it is necessary to note the importance of international relations, and one of them is having friendly neighbours. How does international relations affect us? International relations greatly affects people's daily lives. They can reduce violent conflicts, help to clean up the environment, improve worldview, and help to open a new important step in the history of interstate relations, which are based on the bonds of friendship, brotherhood and spiritual closeness connecting with the peoples of the two countries, as well as it is also aimed at developing large-scale cooperation for the benefit of common welfare. It is necessary to note that from the moment Turkmenistan gained Independence, our country pays a special attention to strengthening relations with the neighboring countries of the region, makes contribution to create an atmosphere of good friendship, trust, good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation. as is known, one of the mutually beneficial partnerships at present is Turkmen- Iran relations. Turkmen-Iran relations are one of the special events in the history of bilateral relations between the two countries. When we talk about Iran, it occurs to us “What is Iran famous for? or What is Iran known for?”. According to the sources that Iran is known for its rich cultural heritage in various forms of art such as literature, architecture, and much more. Iran comprises several spectacular architectures in the form of royal palaces, ancient mosques, and historical museums. To talk about location of Iran we can get acquaintance with Iran as a large country located in the Middle East. It is bordered to the north by the Caspian Sea and the south by the Persian Gulf. According to the source, the foreign relations of Iran are the economic and diplomatic relationships between the Iranian government and governments of other countries. Geography is a very significant factor in informing Iran's foreign policy. Since Independence of Turkmenistan, the two countries have enjoyed good relations and have cooperated in economic, transportation, infrastructure development, and energy sectors. The two nations have strong historic ties. So, in the framework of its foreign policy, neutral Turkmenistan pays a great attention to attaching special importance to its relations with neighboring countries, with which it has historical, political, economic and cultural ties. It is necessary to highlight that a number of high-level meetings have been held between Turkmenistan and to the Islamic Republic of Iran. What is unique about Iran's culture? If we are interested in the culture of Iran, we can rely on the sources Iran has one of the oldest, richest and most influential art heritages in the world. In this regard, we can underline that cultural relations builds trust, understanding and mutually beneficial relationships between different nations by engaging people through the most attractive cultural assets of each country, whether in the arts, education, language, heritage, sports, science or cuisine. So, today we can once again say proudly that within the framework of its foreign policy, our Neutral Turkmenistan pays a great attention to attaching special importance to its relations with neighboring countries. As it is known, according to the country’s official media reports The National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had a working visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, where the officials of the Iran and members of the Turkmen delegation warmly welcomed him. Here, our Hero Argadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had a conversation with Mehrdad Bazrpash, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development. During the meeting, the interlocutors noted that the relations, which are being successfully developed in various fields, are based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and benefit. As it is already mentioned, the relations established between the two countries in the trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres are of particular importance in strengthening the economies, as well as in developing cooperation based on mutual understanding. So, during the conversation, it was noted that the necessary efforts would be made to further intensify important areas of fruitful relations, and confidence was expressed in the further successful development of Turkmen-Iranian cooperation based on mutual friendship and good neighborly relations. One of the happy events is that in the afternoon, our Hero Arkadag met with Sadek Amoli Larijani, Chairman of the Expediency Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Chairman of the Expediency Council of the Iran congratulated the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and thanked him for accepting the invitation to pay a visit to Iran. He emphasized that in Iran, the people of Turkmenistan sincerely rejoice at the achievements of the Turkmen people in socio-economic development under the leadership of our Hero Arkadag, and honourable President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. It should be noted that during the meeting, there was an intensive exchange of views on a wide range of partnership issues, both in a bilateral format and within the framework of the most important international organizations. Speaking about the importance of building up Turkmen-Iranian relations in all priority areas, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and the Chairman of the Council of the Expediency Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran noted that there are great prospects for further expansion and rapprochement of the partnership between the both countries at a higher level. Besides it, important issues of regional and international politics of mutual interest were also discussed. In this context, the National Leader of the Turkmen people noted that as a result of the complex situations taking place today in the international arena, Central Asia and its neighboring states are in the center of attention of the whole world. This factor serves to strengthen the position of the region to a certain extent. In this regard, special attention is paid to ensuring security and stability in the region, one of the key issues on the agenda of bilateral relations. The important point of this meeting was the exchange of views on Turkmen-Iranian cooperation on issues related to the Caspian Sea. As it is known, the factor of the Caspian Sea has started to manifest itself in the geopolitical situation in the region, to intensify joint efforts to strengthen regional security. In this context, it was noted the importance of the specific agreements reached following the results of the sixth Caspian Summit held on the 29th of June, 2022 in Ashgabat, with the participation of the Heads of State of the regional countries. Today, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with the Chairman of the Iran's Parliament (Majlis) of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, during his working visit to the Republic of Iran. During the meeting our Hero Arkadag confirmed the country's interest in the expansion and deepening of intergovernmental cooperation based on long-term, mutually advantageous basis. Our Hero Arkadag suggested the creation of a parliamentary group, expressing the idea of activating parliamentary cooperation, which is of great importance in strengthening Turkmen-Iranian relations. During the meeting, transport system, fuel and energy complex, electric power, road and bridge construction were shown as other promising systems, in which Turkmenistan and Iran can cooperate effectively and successfully implement joint projects. The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament said that there is a great potential for increasing the volume of export-import transactions and emphasized the need to expand trade and economic relations between the two neighboring countries, including the creation of trade delegations. In addition, the Iranian side supported the initiative of the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to create a parliamentary group and noted that its work would be aimed at the active development and expansion of interstate relations. One of the important areas discussed was the issue of ecology, which is a very important task of our time. Then the cortege of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan headed towards the "Jumhuri" palace of the "Saadabad" complex. There, a meeting was held with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Ebrahim Raisi. The leader of the neighboring country greeted our Hero Arkadag and said that he was happy to see the National Leader of the Turkmen people in Tehran. As President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi noted, great importance is attached to the visit of of the Turkmen people, the Chairman of Turkmenistan to his country. It is so pleasant to hear that the President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi noted that the Iranian-Turkmen relations, based on the commonality of historical and cultural roots and traditions that go back for thousands of years, are being successfully developed today in various fields, including political-diplomatic, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian fields. Confirmed readiness to expand cooperation with Turkmenistan, which implements the policy. During a warm conversation, our Hero Arkadag thanked the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the invitation to visit Iran and his hospitality and said that he was sincerely glad to have this meeting in Tehran. The National Leader of the Turkmen people emphasized that Turkmenistan pays particular attention to the development of effective relations with neighboring countries, including Iran, and noted that there are huge opportunities for the expansion of productive cooperation. During the meeting, our Honorable Arkadag proposed to hold meetings of representatives of ministries and government on a regular basis in order to develop specific tools for expanding cooperation between our countries. It was emphasized that our countries support each other's initiatives and proposals on important issues of world development. Based on these, the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan emphasized the need for closer cooperation at the international level. During the talks of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on a working visit to Tehran, with the President of Iran, Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, issues of assistance to Afghanistan were also discussed. In particular, the implementation of regional and international projects in the fields of energy, transport and communications with the participation of Afghanistan was initiated and a package of documents were signed, as well as the Joint Declaration between Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran was adopted. In the document, taking into account the strategic nature of relations between the two countries, that it is necessary to further develop cooperation in areas of mutual interest. One of the most joyful events of this visit is the cultural program. A special cultural program was prepared for Mrs. Ogulgerek Berdimuhamedova, the family of the National Leader of the Turkmen people. During that time, the family of the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan visited the historical and cultural monuments located in the luxurious Saadabad complex, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century, is considered the jewel of Iranian architecture and one of the most beautiful corners of the capital of Iran, where we can get acquainted with valuable information about this complex that includes many major architectural structures and palaces. Since the unique values of the historical and cultural heritage of the Iranian people are preserved, they are of great interest to thousands of tourists from all over the world. In a word, this is the cultural treasure of Iran, where you can get acquainted with the fascinating world of art of the ancient state. This historical building is also called the "Green Palace" because of the color of the façade. Today, collections of classical Iranian paintings, calligraphy, samples of national costumes and many other valuables are exhibited here. This gives an idea of the multifaceted culture, lifestyle and traditions of the Iranian people. In this regard, at present, large-scale work on preservation and propagation of our national traditions is being carried out in our country. This contributes to the growth of spiritual and moral values and ensures their protection for future generations. Then the cortege of the family of our Hero Arkady goes from the Shahwand Palace to the Art Museum named after Farshchian. This museum is the only exhibition of the works of the world famous contemporary Iranian artist Farshchian. The creativity of this artist greatly influenced the formation of Iranian painting. The museum houses 54 of the artist's works, which are widely known in the Islamic world and in the West. Farshchian is known to have founded the Iranian school of painting. It continues the classic style by using modern techniques. Learning about values of any nation, the creativity of each of its talented representatives, as well as the strengthening of international cultural contacts contributes to the mutual understanding of nations, and the achievement of peace and stability through cultural relations. The family of Hero Arkady, Ogulgerek Berdimuhamedova, later visited the Millat Museum, with a total area of 7,000 square meters, is one of the largest buildings of the Saadabad complex where it contains unique museum values - valuable gifts donated to representatives of the Pahlavi dynasty and as well as until now, ancient carpets, distinguished by their beauty and originality of performance, are the decoration of large-scale halls. As it is known, Turkmen carpets are famous for their beauty and high quality of workmanship in ancient times. Having left the museum the family of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, headed to the "Talar" building of the "Saadabad" complex. Here she had a meeting with the family of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mrs. Jamile Alamolhoda. The family of our Hero Arkadag expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome she received during her stay in Tehran and for the interesting tour organized especially for her. During the friendly meeting, important issues of cultural-humanitarian cooperation were discussed. In a word, this current visit is intended to result of a new important stage in the history of good-neighborly relations, based on the bonds of friendship, brotherhood and spiritual closeness between the peoples of the two countries, as well as aimed at developing large-scale cooperation for the benefit of common well-being. We are very grateful to our esteemed President and our Hero Arkadag for their great efforts to develop and strengthen peace in the every aspects of life for the Turkmen people and as well as for the great opportunities to establish cooperation in other areas and build a steady bridge of friendship and mutual understanding between the two fraternal peoples bound by common spiritual and cultural traditions. We wish our esteemed President and our Hero Arkadag sound health, long life, and great achievements in all their undertakings.
Chemen BAYRIEVA,
Senior teacher of the Department of World Languages
of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan