ASHKHABAD, April 26 -- Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with the visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe in Ashkhabad, capital of Turkmenistan on Tuesday.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to relations with China and the two countries have carried out high-level cooperation in politics, diplomacy, trade, culture, humanities and other fields and established the Turkmenistan-China strategic partnership. China is one of Turkmenistan's largest trading partners. There are more than 1,400 Turkmen students studying in China, and many universities in Turkmenistan have set up Chinese majors. It is hoped that the two militaries will strengthen practical cooperation in equipment technology and personnel training and jointly push for new development of Turkmenistan-China relations.
General Wei Fenghe said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Turkmenistan relations have achieved leapfrog development and are currently in the best period in history. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, China stands ready to work with Turkmenistan to build an even closer China-Turkmenistan community with a shared future. China firmly supports Turkmenistan's permanent neutral status, supports Turkmenistan's pursuit of a development path suited to its national conditions, and firmly opposes external interference in Turkmenistan's internal affairs.
General Wei Fenghe pointed out that in recent years, the military-to-military relations between the two countries have been developing steadily and the pragmatic cooperation has been deepening day by day. The Chinese military is willing to further expand cooperation areas with Turkmenistan, enhance the cooperation effectiveness and strive to elevate China-Turkmenistan military relations to a higher level.
On the same day, Turkmenistan's Defense Minister Begench Gundogdyev held a welcome ceremony for General Wei Fenghe and had a formal talk with him. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the international and regional security situation, as well as the issues of the Ukraine and Afghanistan. Both sides agreed to maintain strategic communication, improve personnel training and strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism and equipment technology.
