On 9 July, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, held a meeting with Senator Steve Daines of Montana, a member of the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. This was reported by the news agency TDH.

The US Senator conveyed greetings and best wishes from US President Donald Trump to the National Leader of the Turkmen people. Steve Daines noted the level of development in Turkmenistan and expressed his gratitude for the warm reception.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov conveyed his own best wishes to the US President and noted that the Senator’s visit would contribute to the development of dialogue between the two countries. The Hero Arkadag also congratulated Steve Daines and the people of the United States on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

During the meeting, it was noted that Turkmenistan and the US are developing their cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, trust and understanding. The two sides are cooperating in the political, trade and economic, and cultural and humanitarian spheres.

Hero Arkadag emphasised the importance of active dialogue between the foreign ministries of the two countries and noted the US’s support for Turkmenistan’s policy of positive neutrality.

Senator Steve Daines highlighted the cooperation between the two states within the framework of the UN and emphasised his interest in developing cooperation in various fields.

Particular attention was paid to trade and economic cooperation. The role of the ‘Turkmenistan–US’ Business Council was highlighted, as was the participation of American companies, including ‘Boeing’, ‘General Electric’, ‘John Deere’ and ‘Case New Holland’, in projects in Turkmenistan.

The parties discussed prospects for cooperation in the fuel and energy, transport and communications sectors. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov highlighted the importance of US support for the development of the ‘East–West’ and ‘North–South’ transport corridors, as well as for the implementation of the ‘Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India’ (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

Ties in the fields of science, education and culture were also discussed. The National Leader of the Turkmen people reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s interest in further expanding long-term and multi-faceted cooperation with the US.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties wished each other success in their work and peace and prosperity for the peoples of both countries.