The President of Turkmenistan arrived in Uzbekistan on a state visit on November 16. A Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia was held in Tashkent on the same day, TDH reports.

Speaking at the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov called on the states of the region to intensify economic cooperation.

"The enormous potential of Central Asian countries dictates the urgent need for further active economic cooperation in the interests of all states in the region," Berdimuhamedov said.

Among the strategic areas of cooperation, the President of Turkmenistan highlighted transport, energy, trade, and industrial and technological cooperation.

"Today, Central Asia is considered a key transport and transit corridor of international importance. It is already clear that this role will only increase, given the trend of economic and investment activity shifting toward East and South Asia, the Near and Middle East," Berdimuhamedov noted.

"Our countries must significantly intensify the transport component of their cooperation. To this end, we believe we must begin effective and meaningful participation in the creation of combined corridors along the East-West and North-South lines," the President of Turkmenistan proposed.

He expressed confidence that "combining our potential to create a modern, extensive, efficient, and sustainable transport and logistics infrastructure is a worthy goal that meets the strategic interests of our states."

"Turkmenistan is also ready to discuss further substantive steps to strengthen our energy partnership. This is not just about pipeline projects," Serdar Berdimuhamedov continued.

"Today, we are discussing the importance of expanding the electric power sector and creating a powerful network for the production, supply, and consumption of electricity in our region and its surrounding areas. This will create a reliable material base for the sustainability of the entire electricity supply system and provide guarantees against the impact of potential negative external factors," the head of Turkmenistan noted.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov also called for the creation of production cooperative chains and joint ventures.

"Among the pressing tasks, we see the creation of production cooperative chains in industry and agriculture, more active participation of businesses in the creation of various joint ventures in our countries, and the expansion of cross-border and regional trade," the President of Turkmenistan said.