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China, Turkmenistan reaffirm lasting relations

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-29 07:15

Their ties stretch back to ancient times, when the Silk Road facilitated the close links between the two countries.

The fabled road had served as an important bridge for economic and cultural exchanges between East and West, spreading China's tea, silk and porcelain to the rest of the world and boosting the fame of Turkmenian horses.

In the latest reflection of the importance of these bilateral ties, President Hu Jintao arrived in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat yesterday as part of efforts to strengthen the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (R) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2nd L) as Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan (L) and China's President Hu Jintao look on at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Dushanbe August 28, 2008. [Agencies]

Hu arrived in the capital in Central Asia after visiting the Republic of Korea and Tajikistan, as part of a weeklong official visit of three Asian countries. The Chinese leader had also attended the annual summit of the mutual security group, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

Turkmenian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov had reaffirmed Turkmenistan's close friendship and reliable partnership with China when he took office last year.

On Jan 6, 1992, China and Turkmenistan established diplomatic ties. The relationship is said to have been developing steadily, with frequent visits by the countries' top leaders and deepening mutual trust.

The two sides, said to share identical views on major international issues, have also seen fruitful cooperation in the political, economic, trade, transportation, social and cultural fields.

In July last year, Berdymukhamedov paid a state visit to China, a milestone in bilateral ties, reported the News Agency of Turkmenistan.

During the visit, Berdymukhamedov signed a communique with Hu that identified a clear way for consolidating and developing friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

The volume of bilateral trade hit $379.96 million in the first half of this year alone, statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce showed.

The unprecedented amount exceeded that of the whole of last year and positioned Turkmenistan as China's seventh largest trade partner in the region of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The two governments have also given priority to cooperation in oil and natural gas, Berdymukhamedov said.

The governments have jointly launched a gas pipeline project that reportedly starts from Turkmenistan's Amu-darya River region and passes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, before winding its way to east and south China. It has a designed length of about 10,000 km.

Upon its completion, the pipeline is expected to see an annual transmission capacity of 30 billion cu m that will last for 30 years.

Turkmenistan is located in southwestern Central Asia and is rich in natural resources, especially oil and natural gas.

Forging crucial links in international affairs

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has grown into an important link in contemporary international relations, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon has said.

The mutual security group, comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, was established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai.

The latest SCO summit was conducted in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, this week.

In the past seven years, the group is said to have gradually become an efficient mechanism for maintaining member states' common benefits and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation.

It is considered a major force in facilitating the realization of lasting peace and common advancement. It has also made crucial contributions to the establishment of a more just and rational international order.

The SCO's predecessor, the Shanghai Five Mechanism, originated and grew from an endeavor by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan and Tajikistan to strengthen confidence-building and disarmament in their border regions.

The Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions and the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions signed during the period of the Shanghai Five Mechanism is said to have paved the way for terminating the Cold War in the region.

Last year, heads of state of the SCO inked the Treaty on Long-term Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation at a summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyztan. The agreement put the notion of "friendship from generation to generation and lasting peace" in a legal framework.

Kazakh Vice-Foreign Minister Nurlan Baiuzakovich Yermekbayev had said the new model of relations among countries established by the SCO determines the future outlook of the region.

"The SCO has been recognized as our shared home," he added.

At a summit in 2006, the SCO also listed mutual trust and benefit, equality and mutual respect as the core elements of the framework of the new global security mechanism.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said the SCO members have joined hands in cracking down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism as well as transnational organized crime, and have played a key role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

The SCO has demonstrated to the world its ability to address regional and international challenges and serve as a key pillar in the future multipolar world, Bakiyev added.

Similarly, the Outline of Multilateral Economic and Trade Cooperation Among Member States signed by prime ministers of the SCO at a summit in 2003 holds great significance to the development of the organization, said Sun Zhuangzhi, an expert on Central Asia and the SCO.

Sun said the signing of the document indicated that the economy and security have become two key areas of cooperation for the SCO members, serving as the "dual wheels" pushing the organization forward.

Xinhua