Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Uzbek President Islam Karimov held talks at the Durmen presidential residence on 25 February. The presidents noted that “negotiations were held in the atmosphere of trust, openness and mutual understanding.”
The sides called for increasing the volume of bilateral trade, promoting cooperation and taking better advantage of each other”s markets. Fuel and energy sector, trade-economic and transport-communication spheres as well as a number of other industries were singled out as priority areas of cooperation. The sides also discussed cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.
The presidents signed a joint statement. Uzbek Tourism national company of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the State Committee on Tourism and Sports of Turkmenistan signed an agreement on partnership in the sphere of tourism.
The sides also signed intergovernmental agreements on the activities of border commissioners on the Uzbek-Turkmen state borders; on cooperation in combating crime; on handing over to each other persons illegally residing on the territories of the two countries. Protocols on cooperation were signed between the State Border Service of Turkmenistan and the National Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as between the Ministry of National Security of Turkmenistan and the National Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also signed an agreement on mutual extradition of convicts for further serving their prison terms.