During his visit to the United States, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov gave an interview to ‘Al Arabiya’ TV presenter Rizwan Khan. During the conversation, the Hero Arkadag outlined the key objectives of the visit, assessed the current state of Turkmen-American relations and discussed in detail the priorities of the country's domestic and foreign policy, reports AsmanNews.

Responding to a question about the objectives of the visit, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty noted the sustained positive dynamics of traditionally friendly cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United States. According to him, bilateral ties cover a wide range of areas, from politics and economics to science, education, culture and sports. The Turkmen side, he stressed, attaches great importance to further strengthening constructive dialogue and expanding practical cooperation.

It was particularly noted that the United States was one of the first countries to recognise Turkmenistan's independence and establish diplomatic relations, consistently showing respect for the country's permanent neutrality status. Today, the United States remains an important trade and economic partner of Turkmenistan, and mutual trade turnover is showing steady growth.

Considerable attention was paid in the interview to Turkmenistan's energy strategy. Hero Arkadag emphasised that the country has some of the world's largest natural gas reserves and is building its policy in this area on the basis of diversification of export routes, reliability of supplies and balance of interests of all market participants.

In this context, the role of Turkmenistan's initiatives within the United Nations to promote global dialogue on energy security was noted. Separately, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty focused on the implementation of the ‘Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India’ (TAPI) gas pipeline project, emphasising its economic and stabilising significance for the South Asian region and the openness of the project to international partners, including American companies.

Speaking about the prospects for the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, the Hero Arkadag noted Turkmenistan's constructive approach to this issue, given the need to resolve international legal issues, including the delimitation of the Caspian Sea seabed.

A separate part of the conversation was devoted to trade and economic cooperation with the United States. According to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, with the participation of American businesses, hundreds of projects with a total value of about $45 billion have been and are being implemented in Turkmenistan. Among the key partners are ‘John Deere’, ‘General Electric’, ‘CASE’, ‘Boeing’, ‘Coca-Cola’, ‘Sikorsky’ and ‘Caterpillar’.

Particular emphasis was placed on the role of the Turkmen-American Business Council, which over the years has established itself as an effective platform for developing contacts between business structures in the two countries and promoting joint initiatives. Among the promising areas of cooperation are the introduction of high technologies, the development of electric power, logistics, digital services, education and training.

The interview also focused on humanitarian cooperation. Hero Arkadag noted the sustained interest in Turkmenistan in learning English, which is taught in all general education schools in the country, as well as the development of English-language higher education. Plans to open a specialised English-language school in the city of Arkadag were announced.

In the cultural sphere, the importance of cooperation with the Metropolitan Museum in New York was emphasised, as well as the implementation of educational and cultural programmes with the support of the US State Department, including projects of the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Responding to a question about Turkmenistan's geostrategic position, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty noted that the country sees itself as a bridge between Europe and Asia. According to him, the status of permanent neutrality serves as the foundation for a foreign policy focused on strengthening peace, trust and regional stability.

Speaking about the programme of his stay in Florida, the Hero Arkadag expressed his intention to intensify direct contacts between the region and Turkmenistan, primarily in the areas of investment, trade, sports and tourism. Particular interest was shown in the American experience in developing golf infrastructure and horse breeding.

At the end of the interview, the National Leader of the Turkmen people confirmed that Turkmenistan considers the United States of America a reliable partner and is committed to further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.

Following the conversation, Rizwan Khan noted the substantive and constructive nature of the interview and thanked the Hero Arkadag for his detailed answers. The Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, in turn, invited the presenter and the team of ‘Al Arabiya’ TV channel to take part in the celebrations of the 35th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence and events dedicated to Ahal-Teke horses.