Islamabad, 8 February 2023 (TDI): The Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Pervez Ashraf held an official meeting with Atadjan Movlamov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Pakistan at the Parliament House, on Wednesday.

Hemra Annamuhammedov, 3rd Secretary of Turkmenistan also participated in the meeting. The officials discussed matters of mutual interests and bilateral collaboration. They agreed upon enhanced energy cooperation between the brotherly countries.

Remarks by representatives

During the meeting, the Speaker of the National Assembly expressed Pakistan’s appreciation for its relationship with Turkmenistan and gratitude for the timely humanitarian assistance provided to Pakistan’s flood-affected people.

Ashraf stressed the importance of regional connectivity in driving economic growth. He invited Turkmenistan to participate in efforts to improve regional connectivity by air, land, and sea.

The Speaker emphasized the importance of mutual cooperation in the energy sector to meet the country’s energy needs. He also highlighted the importance of parliamentary exchanges between Pakistan and Turkmenistan.

In this vein, Ashraf urged Turkmenistan to sign the Charter of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) to strengthen parliamentary ties further.

Also read: Turkmenistan, Pakistan keen to enhance bilateral trade: Ambassador of Turkmenistan

The Speaker underlined the need to enhance bilateral trade and investment. Along these lines, he invited Turkmenistan to avail of Pakistan’s Gwadar, Bin Qasim, and Karachi seaports for its trade connectivity with the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

The Speaker also expressed Pakistan’s commitment to the timely completion of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

Pervez Ashraf welcomed the fruitful meetings of the technical delegation led by the Pakistan’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Musadik Malik, during his September 2022 visit to Turkmenistan.

During his turn, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan expressed his satisfaction with the current state of bilateral relations between the two countries and voiced his willingness to further strengthen political, economic, and cultural ties.

The meeting took place in a cordial and friendly atmosphere. Both sides expressed their determination to collaborate for the mutual benefit of their respective countries and the region.