Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the editorial department of People's Daily for proposing the publication of this article on the eve of the Turkmenistan delegation's visit to the People's Republic of China. I am pleased to accept this proposal. I believe that through the authoritative and widely influential platform of People's Daily, direct communication with a wide range of readers will help to better understand the essence of the relationship between Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China, and more clearly grasp the current and future cooperation between the two countries to serve the fundamental interests of the people and promote common development.
Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China have been developing bilateral relations as sovereign states for over thirty years. In the long river of history, although this period was short, the two countries have achieved fruitful and constructive results on the road of cooperation. The two sides have established close political, economic, trade, and cultural ties, institutionalized high-level exchanges between the two countries, and an increasingly solid legal foundation for cooperation.
In September 2013, the relationship between Turkmenistan and China reached a historic moment. The two sides jointly signed the Joint Declaration on Establishing a Strategic Partnership between Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China in Ashgabat, setting the tone and direction for the long-term development of bilateral relations. In May 2014, both sides successively adopted the Joint Declaration on the Development and Deepening of Strategic Partnership between Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China, as well as the Development Plan for Strategic Partnership between Turkmenistan and the People's Republic of China (2014-2018).
While fully affirming the achievements of the current bilateral relations, we cannot ignore the common historical heritage of the two peoples that has lasted for thousands of years. I firmly believe that it is this profound foundation that has built the most solid and fundamental support for the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Turkey today.
The historical documents, chronicles, and literary classics preserve conclusive evidence of the close political, commercial, and cultural exchanges between the Turkmen and Chinese peoples over the centuries. For thousands of years, the two peoples have formed a unique way of getting along and continuously enhanced their understanding of each other. It should be said that this is a beneficial, positive and constructive process, spanning many fields, which has not only profoundly affected the development of Asian civilization, but also promoted the prosperity and development of the people of Turkmenistan, the Chinese people and even the people of various countries and regions (including neighboring and distant countries) on the whole continent, and also promoted the mutual learning of all ethnic groups in material and spiritual aspects.
The "Silk Road" is the most central link in the historical chapter jointly written by the two peoples. I firmly believe that now we see ourselves as the inheritors and inheritors of this historical heritage, which is not only a historical inevitability, but also has profound rationality and authenticity. That is why, when elaborating on China's joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" initiative and Turkmenistan's strategy of "Revitalizing the Silk Road", we stressed that the two major initiatives are highly consistent and internally unified in philosophy and practical path.
Currently, political interaction between Turkey and China is based on a high degree of mutual trust, openness, and constructive nature. The meetings and negotiations between the leaders of the two countries have always been a rich and responsible strategic dialogue, covering key areas of bilateral cooperation and international affairs coordination.
Turkmenistan and China share similar positions and viewpoints on major principles of global governance. The two countries firmly advocate the construction of an international security and stability system based on equal treatment, mutual respect, fairness, justice, and predictable stability, taking into account the interests of all countries. The United Nations Charter and the international legal system are the cornerstone of this international order. The continuous cooperation between Turkey and China within a multilateral framework and mutual support have become a good tradition for both sides in multilateral mechanisms. All of this stems from the profound insights and strategic foresight of both countries towards the long-term development of international affairs. China's support for Turkmenistan's neutral status is a vivid manifestation of this policy. China's high international prestige and constructive stance have played an important role in the process of the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the first and subsequent resolutions on Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality and promoting international recognition of its neutrality. Nowadays, Turkmenistan's neutral policy has become a positive factor in international and regional politics, providing strong support for China's efforts to promote peace, stability, and neighborly friendship in Asia and even globally.
Correspondingly, on issues involving China's core interests, Turkmenistan has always adhered to a fair and candid principled stance, including supporting China's efforts to maintain national unity and territorial integrity, and jointly opposing terrorism, extremism, and separatism.
On the international political stage, Turkey and China jointly advocate for enhancing the voice of developing countries in global affairs, and promote the international community to attach importance to the demands and status of developing countries in agendas such as energy security, food security, disease prevention and control, and human rights protection (especially basic rights such as the right to life, security, and health).
In this regard, it is particularly necessary to review the solidarity and mutual assistance between Turkey and China in the most difficult period of COVID-19 prevention and control. Turkmenistan always thanks China for its valuable support in the supply of medical supplies and equipment. The ancient Chinese saying 'True feelings are revealed in adversity' is a true reflection of the relationship between China and Turkey - our friendship has withstood severe tests.
In recent years, cooperation at the regional level between Turkey and China has been continuously deepening and consolidating. Under the China Central Asia mechanism, both sides maintain effective communication. Turkmenistan actively and regularly participates in major multilateral mechanism summits of China as a member state. It is worth mentioning that our delegation will attend the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit as a guest of the host country.
When it comes to bilateral cooperation, I would like to emphasize the current development status and future prospects of the Turkey China strategic partnership in the economic, particularly energy and transportation sectors.
I firmly believe that there is enormous potential for cooperation between the two sides in these areas, and significant achievements have been made in the cooperation, which will have a positive and far-reaching impact on the geopolitical and economic landscape of the Eurasian continent.
In the field of energy, the "Turkmenistan China" natural gas pipeline, which was completed and put into operation in 2009, can be regarded as a model of strategic cooperation. This world-class grand project is a manifestation of the political will and determination of the leaders of both countries, demonstrating their cooperation capabilities and potential. This pipeline is not only an energy channel for transporting large amounts of natural gas from Turkmenistan to China, but also a model for building a fair, mutually beneficial, and sustainable energy security system in the Eurasian continent. We have reason to be proud of this, as it has injected strong impetus into the economic development of Turkey and China, as well as driven the development of transit countries, profoundly shaping the pattern of Eurasian energy cooperation. The energy cooperation between China and Turkey will continue to deepen, and the economic rationality and long-term interests of all parties involved in this cooperation have been fully verified.
The importance of transportation cooperation between China and Turkey is increasingly prominent. As mentioned earlier, the positioning and goals of the transportation strategies of the two countries are highly aligned and share similar ideas, which lays a solid foundation for the integration of geographical advantages, financial resources, organizational capabilities, and political and diplomatic resources, and the construction of an integrated "east-west" comprehensive transportation and logistics corridor. The construction of this corridor is an effective path to promote the integrated development of the Asian and European economies under the principles of mutual benefit and equal cooperation, with broad prospects and enormous potential. Turkmenistan and China shoulder important missions in this process, and we deeply appreciate the positive willingness of our Chinese partners to cooperate. I firmly believe that this grand cross continental project will be successfully implemented and become another important pillar of the strategic partnership between Turkey and China in the 21st century.
In retrospect, the experience of Turkish and Chinese people in economic and trade exchanges for thousands of years still has important practical significance. We should jointly explore and effectively utilize this valuable heritage to promote practical economic and trade cooperation at present. The cooperation space between the business communities of Turkey and China is vast. Measures such as restoring and expanding traditional trade, promoting diversified trade development, and carrying out cooperation projects with small and medium-sized enterprises will effectively help the development of related industries in both countries, bring tangible commercial benefits to both sides, improve people's well-being and living standards, and solve social problems. In the bilateral economic dialogue, we attach great importance to investment cooperation. Both sides have reached consensus on promoting substantive cooperation projects and shown positive willingness. The government will also fully support the cooperation between the two sides. All of these give us reason to be confident in the future and work together to plan a broader blueprint for cooperation.
Currently, the demand for cooperation between China and Turkey in the field of technology is becoming increasingly urgent. Turkmenistan is gradually promoting the transformation of its economy, society, urban construction, and industrial development towards innovation driven development. Therefore, we are willing to engage in scientific and technological cooperation with China on the basis of mutual benefit and long-term stability. It is gratifying that this proposal has received positive responses from the Chinese government, relevant professional institutions, and enterprises.
Humanistic cooperation is a highly promising and important area in the relationship between Turkey and China. For two countries and nations that are bound by friendship, brotherhood, mutual respect, and trust, cooperation in this field is natural.
At present, the core goal of people to people and cultural exchanges between the two countries is to meet the needs of mutual understanding and enhance the understanding of each other's history and culture. I sincerely feel gratified by the increasingly strong cultural exchange atmosphere among the youth groups of the two countries. Turkmen youth studying in China not only absorb the profound and extensive culture of China, but also serve as ambassadors for the dissemination of Turkmen culture on Chinese soil.
This process is of great significance. In fact, with the joint efforts of Turkey and China, both sides are gradually building a system of values and worldviews that are mutually compatible, laying a solid value foundation for both sides to form a healthy and positive self-awareness and international perspective - Turkey and China are destined to undertake important constructive missions in it. Although the two countries and their people have their own characteristics and unique development paths, we have always walked hand in hand with a clear consensus on future goals and development prospects.
Currently, Turkmenistan and China are firm friends, reliable partners, and like-minded fellow travelers in promoting their own development and addressing major issues facing humanity.
I firmly believe that by working together, we will achieve all the established goals.
(The author is the President of Turkmenistan)
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