On February 6, 2023, the regular 15th meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Consular, Border and Customs Issues was held in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. Heads and representatives of relevant ministries and law enforcement agencies of the two countries took part in its work.

The delegation of Turkmenistan at the meeting was headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev, the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as for Iranian expatriates Alireza Bikdeli.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the agreements reached at the 14th meeting of the intergovernmental commission, which was held in Tehran in January 2019. The parties exchanged views on the current state and prospects of bilateral relations and stressed the need for strict implementation of all agreements reached.

In particular, issues of improving the legal aspect of enhancing the mechanism of interaction in consular matters and in the field of information exchange between law enforcement agencies of the two countries, as well as expanding partnerships to establish effective management at border and customs checkpoints were considered.

Based on the results of the 15th meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Consular, Border and Customs Issues, the final protocol was signed.

On February 6, 2023, in the building of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan, a meeting was held between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran for consular and parliamentary issues, as well as for Iranian expatriates Alireza Bikdeli.

The parties discussed a wide range of issues of cooperation between the countries in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres. The sides noted the importance of meetings at the highest and high levels in expanding bilateral friendly relations.

 The diplomats expressed hope that cooperation between Turkmenistan and Iran would continue to develop progressively within the framework of international and regional organizations.

 As part of the expansion of bilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation, it was proposed to consider the possibility of organizing visits by the heads of the parliaments of the two countries and the inter-parliamentary friendship group.

The diplomats paid attention to the activities of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission for Economic Cooperation, the next meeting of which is scheduled for February 15-17 this year in the capital of Turkmenistan. In this regard, the sides discussed ways to develop cooperation in the electricity sector, in the field of transport and in the oil and gas industry.

During the talks, the importance of the activities of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Consular, Border and Customs Issues, the 15th meeting of which is taking place today in Ashgabat, was emphasized.

The parties spoke about the further development of cultural and humanitarian relations. In particular, the holding of the Days of Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Turkmenistan on February 12-14 this year was noted.

The diplomats also paid attention to the upcoming joint events and meetings scheduled for this year.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has shared a twitter post over the treacherous attack on the embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran.

“I strongly condemn a terrorist act committed today against our embassy in Tehran. I express deep condolence to the family and relatives of senior lieutenant Askarov Orkhan Rizvan oğlu killed while ensuring the security of the embassy and its employees. We demand the soonest investigation into the terrorist act and punishment of the terrorists. The terrorist attack on the diplomatic mission is unacceptable!” the post reads.

Source: https://azertag.az/en/xeber/President_Ilham_Aliyev_shares_twitter_post_over_attack_on_Azerbaijans_embassy_in_Iran-2462285?fbclid=IwAR1RXEizV6GhlevwYgMZKXxO8g-kelU3RjWcFQlrFaW8odxjO9LYP0-nIxU

On January 9, 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran for Economic Diplomacy Mahdi Safari in the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan.

A wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres was discussed at the meeting.

The parties noted the importance of meetings at the highest and high levels in expanding bilateral friendly relations.

During the negotiations, the importance of the activities of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian commission for economic cooperation was emphasized. The agenda also included issues of developing cooperation in the fuel and energy sector, building up transport and transit potential.

The diplomats paid attention to the upcoming joint events and meetings scheduled for this year.

At the end of the meeting, the sides reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the further course of strengthening the Turkmen-Iranian partnership, based on the age-old principles of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual respect.

On the sidelines of the International Conference "Dialogue is a Guarantee of Peace" held in Ashgabat on December 11, 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Reza Najafi.

At the meeting, a wide range of issues of interaction between the countries in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres was discussed.

The importance of meetings at the highest and high levels in strengthening bilateral friendly relations was especially emphasized. In this regard, the parties agreed to further expand intergovernmental contacts, including through the Foreign ministries of the two countries.

The diplomats expressed hope that cooperation between Turkmenistan and Iran would continue to develop progressively within the framework of international and regional organizations.

Noting the importance of the activities of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian commission for economic cooperation, the sides discussed ways to develop cooperation in the oil and gas sector, the electric power industry, solving issues in the water sector and the environment, including the joint rational use of water resources.

At the end of the meeting, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the Turkmen-Iranian partnership based on the age-old principles of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual respect.

On November 30, 2022, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received Minister of Energy of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Akbar Mehrabian.

Expressing sincere gratitude for the time spent, the guest conveyed warm greetings from the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi to the head of state, who addressed the wishes of well-being and prosperity to all the Turkmen people.

Welcoming the guest and noting that one of the key vectors of the foreign policy of  Turkmenistan is the development of multifaceted cooperation with neighboring countries, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov conveyed his best wishes to the President and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating with satisfaction the traditionally friendly, fraternal nature of the interstate dialogue.

During the meeting, the prospects for enhancing bilateral cooperation were discussed, where mutual visits of government delegations are a significant factor. As President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted, Iran is a major trade and economic partner of Turkmenistan, occupying one of the leading positions in its foreign trade turnover. In this context, confidence was expressed that the meetings and negotiations scheduled during the current visit of the Minister of Energy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Ashgabat will contribute to the further development of effective interaction that meets common interests.

In this regard, the need was noted for developing more effective partnership mechanisms in order to optimally realize its huge resource and economic potential. Here, an important role is given to the activities of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, designed to contribute to the intensification of the Turkmen-Iranian cooperation aimed at achieving concrete results.

At the end of the meeting, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Minister of Energy of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Akbar Mehrabian expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation, based on strong ties of friendship and good neighborliness, principles of equality, mutual benefit and long-term, will continue to develop successfully for the common good.

The border joint market "Gaudan-Bajigiran" on the Turkmen-Iranian border resumed its work 32 months after it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Iranian media write.

The duty-free point has been reopened thanks to the agreements reached during the official visit of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Iran in June this year.

Due to the reopening of the market, a solemn ceremony was held, which was attended by local officials and Iranian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Gholam Abbas Arbab Khales.

According to the estimates of the Iranian side, the joint market provided trade turnover between the countries at the level of $4.5 million per year, and also directly or indirectly created more than 700 jobs.

The seventh Caspian summit will take place at the agreed time in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is stated in the Communiqué of the VI Caspian Summit, held on Wednesday in Ashgabat.

It was attended by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

In a friendly and confidential atmosphere, the presidents discussed the most important issues of five-sided cooperation in the Caspian Sea region, as well as topical international and regional problems of mutual interest.

The presidents stressed the importance of the decisions of the Caspian Summits held in Ashgabat (2002), Tehran (2007), Baku (2010), Astrakhan (2014) and Aktau (2018), and the need for their effective implementation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian stressed the importance of the agreement on direct baselines, speaking at a meeting of the foreign Ministers of the Caspian littoral states on Tuesday in Ashgabat.

In the four years since the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, important steps have been taken forward, but such issues as the delimitation of the water space, the seabed and the subsoil remain unresolved.

A High-level Working Group was established to develop a draft agreement on direct baselines, which has already held four meetings to finalize the document.

In general, Abdullahian noted the promotion of five-sided cooperation in the Caspian Sea within the framework of the implementation of the Caspian Convention, aimed at taking into account the interests of all the Caspian states, which should only benefit from cooperation.

According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, trade and transport, which were given special attention at the current ministerial meeting, are the drivers of growth, prosperity and progress of the Caspian countries.