By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Russia and Turkmenistan have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations and work together to bolster regional blocs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov that cooperation with Turkmenistan is gaining momentum.
"Our relationships are rapidly developing. Political dialogue is regularly maintained at the highest levels, allowing for a confidential and frank exchange of views on the expansion of bilateral cooperation and our comprehensive strategic partnership," he said.
Meredov, for his part, said Ashgabat and Moscow are currently working together to strengthen regional formats such as Central Asia + Russia, which will hold a presidential summit in Tajikistan in October of this year.
"We had a thorough discussion of the Caspian issues here. There are questions that Turkmenistan, the Russian Federation, and their neighbors will answer very soon," Meredov said.
Both ministers added that during today's meeting, they reviewed current issues concerning Russia and Turkmenistan's political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian agendas, as well as exchanged views on international and regional issues.