The leader of Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, paid an official visit to Azerbaijan on July 16.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. During the meeting, the two leaders expressed optimism over the future of the two nations. ‘I am confident that Berdimuhamedov’s visit will make a significant contribution to the development of the brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Our peoples are bound together by deep-rooted fraternal traditions, which have grown even stronger during the years of independence,” Aliyev said, according to the official readout of the meeting.
The similar optimistic sentiments were echoed by Berdimuhamedov who said the current level of Turkmen–Azerbaijani interstate relations could be defined “in three words: brotherhood, good neighbourliness, and cooperation." In addition to an official meeting and dinner, the two men also visited a number of places, Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Sea Breeze resort on the Caspian Sea.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has served as Turkmenistan’s president until 2022 and is believed to be the de-facto leader of the country despite his son Serdar Berdimuhamedow being the incumbent president.
