(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on Thursday signed a strategic partnership agreement and seven other accords in diverse fields including economy and fighting terror.
The strategic partnership pact was signed between President Ashraf Ghani and his Turkmenistan counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow in Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital, a statement from the Presidential Place said.
It said both countries agreed to expand their bilateral relations in areas of economy, trade, transit and joint efforts at fighting terrorism.
The seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were on cultural exchanges between Turkmenistan Academy of Science and National Archive of Afghanistan, railway project, aviation, customs, petroleum, gas and energy transfer.
President Ghani called the Strategic Partnership Agreement a milestone which he hoped would increase relations between the two nations.
The Afghan president said the strategic agreement would help maintain sustainable relations between the two countries to be based on mutual respect and mutual interests.
Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow said their talks took place in a friendly environment and both the sides comprehensively discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues.
He said both Turkmenistan and Afghanistan were supporters of peace and both wanted regional countries to improve their cooperation for peace and stability in the region.
Berdimuhamedow said he and President Ghani had the same vision about the fight against terrorism and he supported a political solution to the Afghanistan conflict. 'As a neutral country, we are ready to offer every kind of cooperation in this regard.'
The Turkmen leader also said the TAPI project would create over 12,000 jobs in Afghanistan and the country would earn $1 billion in transit free annually. He said his country would host Lapis Lazuli transport ministers conference in May this year.
He also stressed increased contacts between the two countries in area of sports , saying currently a large number of Afghan students were studying in Turkmenistan higher education institutes.
President Ghani said 'today is 27th anniversary of friendship between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and he was proud of signing the strategic accord with the country. He said the strategic accord was not time-bound.
About terrorism, Ghani said terror remained a huge problem in the region and the world and needed a joint and coordinated strategy to overcome it.
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