The National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, held talks with President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Friday at the Congress Center of the Avaza National Tourist Zone. The meeting was held in both one-on-one and expanded formats, according to the press service of the President of Uzbekistan.

The two sides discussed the further development of Uzbek-Turkmen relations of friendship, good neighborliness, and strategic partnership, highlighting the dynamic progress of mutually beneficial cooperation across various sectors.

It was noted that trade turnover between the two countries reached $700 million since the beginning of the year. A free trade regime has been in effect since February, trade houses have been opened in both capitals, and joint projects are being implemented in industry, energy, transport, agriculture, water management, and other areas of the economy. The launch of the “Shavat–Dashoguz” trade zone is planned for later this year.

The parties emphasized the importance of the work of intergovernmental commissions and the Business Council, and exchanged views on preparations for the Seventh Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. They also noted the practical value of the ongoing trilateral talks in the “Azerbaijan–Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan” format.

On the same day in Avaza, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, also met with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.