The national interests combined with the political will and economic pragmatism in these arrangements determined the choice of the geographical route of the Trans-Asian gas pipeline as well as a number of other projects aimed at encouraging fruitful international cooperation for the common welfare and prosperity. As was reported the leaders of four countries attended the ceremony of purring the transnational gas pipeline into operation in Lebap Velayat.

It is no mere chance that the idea that the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline is not just an economic project aimed at increasing gas exports and diversifying the energy transit routes to world markets run all through the talks between the leaders of the friendly states. This is the project both social and political, significance of which should be evaluated from the viewpoint of the prospects of international integration processes.

The Trans-Asian energy pipeline put into operation to the applause of numerous participants and guests of the festivities has become a reality of XXI century. Overcoming thousands of kilometres Turkmen gas started to run to the East via this pipeline and will run because it is needed by China’s dynamic economy, because it is needed by people.

Running from the richest gas fields on the right bank of the Amu Darya River the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline over 7,000 kilometres long with hundreds of infrastructure facilities built on the route and thousands of new jobs created in the region is a unique engineering facility. In the practice of international relations the new energy bridge is a unique precedent of peace and cohesion, goodwill and openness, the readiness for long-term and dependable partnership that guarantees the welfare to the countries and nations. Embodying the idea of reviving the Great Silk Road it promotes the dialogue of cultures and civilizations, exchanging best practices and positive ideas, concerting efforts to respond to threats and challenges of the modern world.

The universality and prudence of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s policy aimed at realizing the aspirations of the nation for the benefit of the whole mankind becomes most apparent in this integrated and comprehensive approach to addressing the issues of national and global development. This is the only correct path among other ways and routes. It is gratifying to know that receiving high-ranking guests this time Ashgabat confirmed its authoritative reputation of a hospitable host, who continually generates constructive ideas and initiatives balancing views and leading practical results.

It has become a tradition that the Turkmen-Chinese top-level talks as well as the meetings between the leaders of the neighbouring states – Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are held in the invariable atmosphere of particular solemnity and at the same time spiritual affinity, cordiality and sincerity. It can be rightfully said that the success of the talks was predetermined for the roads to it are laid in all dimensions – both temporal and spiritual and moral. Moreover, for all importance of the political and economic aspects, the peculiarities of general perception of the world and reality imbued with deep reverence of the national history, centuries-old cultural heritage and traditions come to forefront when it concerns cooperation between the brotherly peoples of the friendly countries.

The main thing that unites Turkmenistan and China is the understanding the true value of an individual, recognition of his right to the improvement of his life as well as the life of the country. The Chinese people as nobody else in the world know the true cost of internal stability and can appreciate the significance of efforts that should be taken by the political leadership as well as the nation to bring the state to the leading positions in the world economy, guarantee the high standards of living of people, the wellbeing and welfare of the future generations, and therefore President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s policy and the strategy of progressive reforms arouse not only well-deserved respect but also keen interest in China.

The correctness of this statement was confirmed the honorary Chinese guest by suggesting intensifying long-term cooperation not only in the energy sector but also in non-oil sectors of the economy. President Hu Jintao emphasized that China attached special importance to developing the relations with Turkmenistan underscoring China’s readiness to further develop dynamically versatile partnership and intensify traditional relations with Turkmenistan.

The new economic projects allowing two countries to collaborate effectively the sphere of high technologies, the fuel and energy, telecommunications, transport and other sectors through merging the existing resources and investments took real shape during these talks. the bright evidence of expanding strategic partnership between two states are the Intergovernmental Agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of income tax evasion, the provision of the soft loans by the Government of the People’s Republic of China for reconstruction of communications networks, the purchase of railway passenger cars, the Memorandum between the Government of Turkmenistan and the LENOVO Corporation (China); the Commercial Contract between the Ministry of Communication of Turkmenistan and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

For 18 years Turkmen-Uzbek fraternity recognized by Presidents Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Islam Karimov as the foundation of the friendly dialogue had reached the level of confidence that worked according to the principle of transition from quantity to quality. In fact, a reference point was needed. In this case it became the coincidence of the political will of the Turkmen and Uzbek leaders, who transformed this will in initiatives, initiative in actions. Owing to it the friendly relations between two neighbouring countries caught ‘the second wind’ and their ties rooted deeply in millennia have entered a golden age.

The Uzbek leader’s official visit to Turkmenistan confirmed this more than eloquent. The talks in Ashgabat serve as an illustrative example of that along with the goodwill, common sense and clear understanding of the situation in the world demonstrated the politicians’ responsibility for the fate of their countries and all peoples in the world. This is possible only when the politicians are able to subject their activity to the vital interests of people. For Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Islam Karimov this vital interest is the welfare and prosperity of their peoples. Moreover, it is very important that both leaders see achieving these goals only through establishing lasting peace, stability and security in Central Asia, i.e. through the lenses of the responsibility of their states that play a key role in the region to the world community.

This conditions the high effectiveness of the meeting that meant itself not less than its practical results. During the talks President Islam Karimov highly evaluated Turkmenistan’s great achievements on the path of progressive reforms and supported President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s international initiatives particularly on reliable and stable transit of energy, efficient use of water and energy resources in Central Asia, implementation of the geoeconomic, transit and transport potential of two states and, specifically, development of ‘a road map’ of further cooperation in the road, rail and air transport sectors.

This was reiterated convincingly and persistently in the Uzbek leader’s speech. The Uzbek people sincerely rejoiced at the achievements gained by of independent neutral Turkmenistan on the path of revival and progressive reforms aimed at guaranteeing a worthy life to the Turkmen people as well as the increasing international prestige of the fraternal country and its leader, Islam Karimov said during the press conference. The President of Uzbekistan said that all achievements of the modern Turkmen state were associated with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, under whose leadership the country was moving forward resolutely.

The Turkmen leader evaluated the respectful, sincere and transparent nature of the Turkmen-Uzbek relations that are dynamically developed today on a basis of the age-old traditions of good neighbourliness, historical affinities, language, culture and, more importantly, mutual understanding of the importance of further enhancing friendship and cooperation. Our partnership was aimed at the promising future, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said. This statement is even weightier for that it was made in the context of the new agreements reached upon concluding the talks and new initiatives.

The agreements signed in Ashgabat have the very specific, multidimensional nature – whether it is foreign policy, the trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres or border issues. A qualitatively new approach taken by the national leaders to bilateral cooperation is vividly illustrated by the Joint Turkmen-Uzbek Communique that reflects the whole spectrum and the partners’ views on the issues of water management, construction of new hydroelectric facilities in the upper reaches of the transboundary rivers and other aspects of regional and world politics.

For the peoples of two countries the new summit became a real breakthrough towards establishing closer and mutually beneficial contacts. An illustration of this is the Protocol on the Amendments and Additions to the Agreement between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the trips of citizens and the simplified procedure for citizens living in the border areas of November 19, 2004 that will expand trade and economic cooperation and create new product markets for Turkmen and Uzbek producers.

As is known during the summit much attention was paid to further cooperation in the humanitarian sphere and tourism. In this context the Turkmen leader’s initiative hold the art festival – the Festival of Friendship between the two peoples in Dashoguz in 2010 raised a ready response of the Uzbek leader. “I believe that this proposal will be enthusiastically welcomed by our peoples, who are bound with the historical and cultural affinities. This grandiose event will go down in history,” said Islam Karimov.

The visits to the leaders of Central Asia and China to Turkmenistan have become part of history already but the results of the visits and the agreements reached during these meetings laid a main road towards strengthening further cooperation between the peoples of the friendly states and strategic partners – the road, the prototype of which is the TV bridge that connected all four participants of the large-scale energy project on the day of putting the Trans-Asian gas pipeline into operation – a new gas transportation route of XXI century!

Relying on the invisible but very strong threads that stretch from the ancient times to these days, from the times of the Great Silk Road to the third millennium, enriching the historical experience with the achievements and discoveries of modern human civilization, these countries demonstrating goodwill, commitment to the ideas of creative development are building their relationship for not a short time but for centuries.