President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov on Tuesday invited the heads of state participating in the “Central Asia–China” summit to attend a major international forum set to take place this December in Ashgabat. The event will be dedicated to International Neutrality Day and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality.

According to Turkmenistan’s state media, President Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the upcoming international forum in Ashgabat this December would continue dialogue among nations to seek solutions to global challenges and promote consensus and mutual understanding in the international arena.

In his address, the Turkmen leader also proposed the regular organization of joint cultural and arts festivals across participating countries. He suggested the creation of a new platform for cultural cooperation titled “Cultural Dialogue of Central Asia and China,” and noted that, with the approval of the participating leaders, relevant agencies could be tasked with developing mechanisms for its implementation.

President Berdimuhamedov further emphasized Turkmenistan’s readiness to expand cooperation in the energy sector within the summit’s framework, citing favorable conditions for such efforts. He reiterated Turkmenistan’s openness to discussing diversification of natural gas supply routes.

The summit concluded with the signing of several key documents, including the Treaty on Eternal Friendship, Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation between Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan; the Astana Declaration of the second “Central Asia–China” summit; and an initiative to improve conditions for mutual travel among citizens of the participating countries.

Business Turkmenistan