President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin discussed topical issues of the bilateral and regional agenda on Thursday in a telephone conversation, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reports.

 At the beginning of the conversation, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov warmly congratulated Vladimir Putin on his birthday and wished him good health, prosperity and great success.

 The leaders of the two countries discussed the trade and economic sphere of Turkmen-Russian cooperation.  In this regard, it was noted that for 8 months of 2021, the volume of bilateral trade amounted to 1 billion 86 million US dollars, which is 12.5% ​​more compared to the same period in 2020.

 They also noted successful cooperation in the oil and gas sector, in the areas of gas chemistry, automotive industry, shipbuilding, air transport, etc.

 During the conversation, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov confirmed Turkmenistan's readiness to host the Summit of the heads of the Caspian states, scheduled earlier for October 2021, in face-to-face format.

 As the head of Turkmenistan noted, taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the region and the world, the Caspian summit should still be held in person.  This is dictated by the need for a thorough discussion of aspects such as stability and security, economic cooperation in the Caspian, as well as the possibility of personal bilateral meetings of the heads of five states to consider topical issues of interaction.

 At the same time, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited the Russian side to send a representative for a detailed study of the organizational component of this important meeting of the leaders of the Caspian countries.

 At the end of the conversation, the interlocutors expressed confidence that the Turkmen-Russian strategic partnership will continue to expand in all areas, based on the age-old traditions of friendship, trust and mutual understanding.