UPDATE - Türkiye, Turkmenistan agree to work together more closely

ADDS TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER'S PHONE CALL WITH AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPART; REVISES DECK

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye and Turkmenistan have reached a joint understanding on working together more closely in the future, the Turkish foreign minister said Monday.

"We discussed our bilateral ties and cooperation in some regional matters during our one-on-one meeting," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov in Ankara.

"We reviewed preparations for the Türkiye-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan trilateral meeting set to be held in Awaza," in Turkmenistan, Cavusoglu said, adding that several agreements will be signed at the meeting.

The two officials also noted the importance of holding a meeting for energy, transportation, and foreign ministers ahead of the trilateral meeting in Turkmenistan.

Cavusoglu added that high-level visits between Türkiye and Turkmenistan will continue.

"We will be glad to host (Turkmen) President Serdar Berdimuhamedow in our country early next year," Cavusoglu said.

The Turkish foreign minister also welcomed Turkmenistan’s observer status in the Organization of Turkic States, and voiced hope it will become a permanent member.

Although trade between the two countries is growing, Cavusoglu said there was no significant increase as he affirmed the need to enhance efforts to reach a $5 billion target.

-'Beneficial' talks

For his part, Meredov said that political, economic, and cultural ties were addressed as well as possible future cooperation.

"We exchanged views on regional and national issues of mutual interest," he added.

Calling their talks "beneficial," Meredov also said they discussed the two countries' cooperation at international organizations.

He said the two countries share "similar and close" views on political matters at the international level.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan also received Meredov at the presidential complex for a closed-door meeting. No further information about the meeting was released.

Later Monday, Cavusoglu held a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov to discuss an upcoming summit between Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan.

* Diyar Guldogan in Ankara contributed to this story