MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. The Russian-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation is working dynamically, with preparations for its next meeting already underway, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov.
"I am pleased to welcome you on another multilateral occasion. Tomorrow we will hold a meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian states. Today is a good opportunity to see how our bilateral processes are progressing in line with the Russian and Turkmenistani presidents' decisions," Lavrov said in his opening remarks published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website. "We highly appreciate our strategic partnership. The Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation is working dynamically, preparations are underway for its next meeting. A business forum will be organized to coincide with it. This will also be useful," he added.
The minister also views this as a good opportunity to talk about interaction on international platforms. "There are many platforms where we interact. Our positions are similar and they coincide in a number of areas. This is the UN, the Caspian Five, other formats, including the Group of Friends of Neutrality promoted by Ashgabat. You are holding a regular meeting of the Friends of Neutrality Group on December 11. We will definitely be adequately represented there," Lavrov emphasized.
He noted that Moscow is determined to work together to make cultural and educational projects a reality. "I will single out one of our flagship projects - the creation of the Russian-Turkmenistan University and the construction of a new State Russian Drama Theater building. Work is also underway to set up an additional building for the Pushkin school," he added. "We are sincerely grateful to our Turkmen friends for such attention to this area, to exchanges in the sphere of culture and education. We are happy about your interest in the Russian language."
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing that the foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan - are scheduled to meet in Moscow on December 5 under Lavrov's chairmanship.