Historical foundations of the Turkmen-Chinese strategic partnership

The working visit of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to China, which took place at the invitation of the Chairman of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, and his participation in the SCO+ Summit as an honorary guest was not only a major event in the context of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, but also confirmed the most important feature of the Turkmen-Chinese strategic partnership as a continuation of the historical path of cooperation and mutual understanding between the two peoples and states.

The centuries-old tradition of mutual trust between Turkmenistan and China today extends to all areas of cooperation. The energy sector is no exception, the relations in which are built on the same proven and confirmed principles of joint beneficial experience - honesty, openness, mutual benefit. A good example of this was the announcement during the visit of the President of Turkmenistan to China about the preparation of a General Agreement on the Basic Principles of Cooperation in the Gas Sector.

 Its preamble contains a direct reference to the "Oath Treaty" between the Turkmen and Chinese peoples. This is a unique document, dated 49 BC, which the ancestors of the Turkmen signed with the people of China. The very name "Oath Treaty" emphasizes the inviolability and sanctity of the foundations of the relationship between the two peoples.

Today, in a new historical era, the leadership of Turkmenistan and China, relying on the richest historical foundation, is reviving the spirit and principles of cooperation. Both countries emphasize that interstate relations, the history of which goes back thousands of years, to the times of the Great Silk Road, built on a solid foundation of centuries-old friendship and mutually beneficial, equal partnership, are filled with new content year after year.

The determining role in this positive process is undoubtedly played by the trusting relations established between the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the Chairman of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. During mutual visits at the highest and government levels, which have become regular in recent years, the parties invariably confirm the importance of maximally using the potential of the two countries, which have both a powerful resource base and a developed infrastructure.