Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Sept 8 /Trend D.Azizov/
The relationship between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has reached a qualitatively new level over the last five - six years, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan Shiri Shiriyev said at a briefing.
According to the Ambassador, the political will of Presidents Islam Karimov and Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov contributed to it.
"Regular summits are an important factor in the consistent development of bilateral cooperation," Shiriyev said.
He said Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also have similar and close views on strengthening regional and global security and stability.
In addition countries have similar positions on the establishment of new effective mechanisms aimed at enhancing the joint fight against such threats as international terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, he said.
As previously reported, the sides emphasized the mutual intention to develop effective cooperation - both in inter-state format and in the framework of the authoritative international organizations and institutions, and, above all, within the United Nations during the Uzbek-Turkmen inter-ministerial consultations, held in August in Ashgabat.
Opportunities for intensification of mutually beneficial relations in the economic, energy, transport and communications sector, doubling bilateral trade - $1 billion were stressed during the session of the Uzbek-Turkmen commission on trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation, on September 4 in Tashkent.
The two states are linked by a number of large projects. In particular, a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to China via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was opened in December 2009. The parties shall also consider the possibility of co-operation in the implementation of the railway project that would link Central Asia to the Persian Gulf.
According to the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, Uzbek-Turkmen trade turnover in 2011 increased by 1.7 times and amounted to $460 million.