On January 6, 2023, in the framework of the state visit of the President of Turkmenistan to China, the head of state Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Li Zhanshu at the Great Hall of the People.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on a number of key aspects of bilateral cooperation. The significance of the current visit of the head of Turkmenistan to Beijing, undertaken in the year of the 10th anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the establishment of strategic partnership relations and the 31st anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, was emphasized.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov conveyed to the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Li Zhanshu cordial greetings and best wishes from the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan G.Mammedova, stating that close, proactive cooperation through the legislature is the most important component of the interstate dialogue and strengthening friendship between the Turkmen and Chinese peoples.
Highly appreciating the current state of bilateral cooperation, the head of state stressed the exceptional effectiveness of the high-level talks held today, following which a solid package of documents was signed that open up new opportunities for the further development of multifaceted Turkmen-Chinese relations.
It was emphasized that Turkmenistan strives to comprehensively strengthen interstate cooperation with China in the energy, trade, economic and humanitarian fields for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries. The Turkmen side also stands for the intensification of the inter-parliamentary dialogue.
In turn, calling inter-parliamentary interaction an important component in the development of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, Li Zhanshu said that in recent years regular contacts have been established between the NPC and the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan at various levels. China and Turkmenistan, while maintaining high mutual understanding, are intensifying ties between representatives of the parliaments and political parties of the two states. In this regard, Li Zhanshu extended an invitation to the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of the Milli Gengesh Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to visit China at a convenient time for him.
Further, the parties noted the productivity of the steps taken to expand the legal framework, which contributes to the development of a dialogue between the parliaments of the two countries, and the exchange of experience in the field of lawmaking. An example of this is bilateral meetings and visits, the creation of an inter-parliamentary friendship group of the Mejlis of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan and the National People's Congress of China.
During the discussion of the prospects for the Turkmen-Chinese inter-parliamentary cooperation, the importance of the established constructive cooperation with the PRC through the UN, other authoritative international and regional organizations and structures, the effective use of partnership opportunities in the "Central Asia - China" format was emphasized. In this regard, the expediency of creating an inter-parliamentary council "Central Asia - China" and holding a joint forum "Turkmenistan-China: women and youth" was noted.
At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed confidence that relations between our two countries have a great future, taking into account common interests and coinciding views on global development trends.
