Official website of the President of Russia

News   /

Before the official events began, Vladimir Putin and Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov, who had met the Russian leader at the airport, visited the famous Tekinsky market in Ashgabat.

Later, the welcoming ceremony was held in Palace Square, after which the two leaders held talks, first one-to-one and then in a broader format.

After the talks, they signed a joint statement which said that strengthening national and regional security and, primarily, the fight against international terrorism, religious and political extremism and drug and weapons trafficking require closely coordinated action.

During the talks, the two presidents confirmed their commitment to determining the legal status of the Caspian Sea as soon as possible, taking into consideration the interests of all adjacent countries, in order to ensure favourable conditions for beneficial cooperation in exploiting hydrocarbons and biological resources and protecting the marine environment, according to the document.

Having discussed Turkmen-Russian trade and economic cooperation, the two leaders spoke in favour of expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, including greater mutual investment and capital flow and the creation of joint ventures in priority sectors. They laid down principles for trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan for 2000–2005.

They decided to speed up work to draft and sign a corresponding agreement and some other important inter-governmental documents that were being considered. The presidents confirmed their interest in holding the first meeting of the inter-governmental bilateral commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation as soon as possible.

Mr Putin and Mr Niyazov also signed a joint Declaration on Cooperation in Culture, Science and Education.