An official reception was held at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan on the occasion of May 28 - Independence Day.

After the national anthems of both countries were played, Azerbaijan's Ambassador in Turkmenistan, Gismat Gozalov, gave a speech talking about the historical significance of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which was the first secular democratic state established in the Muslim East 106 years ago. He spoke about the achievements after the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the successor of the ADR, and the incomparable services of national leader Heydar Aliyev in the field of state building, and mentioned that under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, our country is on the path of rapid development.

Gismat Gozalov pointed out Azerbaijan is the initiator and active participant in major international projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as the Black Sea Submarine Cable project which will connect Central Asia with Europe.

The Ambassador noted that in 2020, due to the 44-day Patriotic War, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and sovereign rights within its borders recognised by the international community. Attention was drawn to the construction work in our liberated territories, the large return to our territories, as well as the danger of mines. He drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijan is currently taking initiatives in the direction of ensuring peace in the South Caucasus and that Azerbaijan has offered Armenia a peace agreement that recognizes the territorial integrity and borders of both countries. He emphasized that the peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia are proceeding at the moment and the process of border delimitation is underway. He highlighted that new cooperation opportunities have arisen in the transport and communication sector with the ceasing of the conflict in the region, and these opportunities will serve the interests not only of the South Caucasus but also of the entire region.

Considering the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, the Ambassador underlined that recent high-level visits between the two countries and meetings within the framework of international events have become intensive, which has contributed to the further strengthening of our strategic relations. He mentioned that trade turnover for last year increased by more than 75 per cent, the volume of the trade turnover which is proximity to 800 million US dollars and also underlined the great importance of the role of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission in the development of our relations.

Underlining that Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are implementing important projects in the field of energy, and important work is being done on climate change and alternative energy in both countries, the Ambassador reminded that 2024 was declared the "Year of Solidarity for the Green World" in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, he stressed that the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) which will be held in Azerbaijan in November of this year is obvious evidence that our country is a reliable partner of the world community.

The Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet Ministers of Turkmenistan and Co-chairman of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission Batyr Atdayev giving a speech at the event conveyed congratulations on behalf of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, wished prosperity and success to Azerbaijan. He emphasized that the high-level dialogue between the heads of state of both countries gave a strong impetus to the development of relations between our countries, he said that the fraternal relations between our peoples are based on historical roots, and cooperation between our countries in various directions, including political, economic and humanitarian fields, is developing rapidly.

The event continued with Azerbaijani music, and during the event, materials related to our country, as well as logos related to COP29, were shown through the cinema screen. Samples of Azerbaijani national cuisine, sweets and drinks were presented to the guests.

Moreover, materials related to the history, culture, art, carpet art and tourism potential of our country, national musical instruments, as well as brand products of "Made in Azerbaijan" were displayed at the event. Banners related to COP29.az and azerbaijan.travel websites of Azerbaijan were also exhibited at the event.

Heads and employees of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, as well as public representatives and Azerbaijanis living in Turkmenistan, took part in the event.

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