Safe and unsafe bilateral cooperation
It was clear from the foreign activity of Kurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who is apparently trying to abandon the isolationist policy of his predecessor, that he would finally travel to Iran. His two-day visit (15-17 June) was celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. There was a warm welcome by President Ahmadinejad, who praised the “young” Turkmen leader, heartfelt words about centuries-long friendship of the two nations, lavish banquets, and a meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei…
It looked as if the Iranian party was especially interested in maintaining good relations and demonstrating it to the U.S. In an announcement issued by the Iranian MFA after the visit, the hosting country went so far as to state that the President of Turkmenistan has “a strong belief that Iran’s nuclear activities are of peaceful nature, which is the reason why we strongly support it”. However, there was no mention of that in Turkmen sources.
Berdymukhammedov was, as usual, very economical in words. During the press conference, he limited himself to diplomatic statements about the necessity to develop bilateral ties, especially in the area of economy and transport. No important document was signed. However, to attribute Berdymukhammedov’s “economy in words” to his „inborn” modesty and reticence would be a mistake.
During his two-day visit, the new Turkmen leader, whose every step is closely followed by the entire crude gas-consuming world, wanted to convey two important messages. One was intended for Iran and one - for the West. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a very important neighbour of Turkmenistan, with which it shares not only the second longest border (after Uzbekistan), but is also linked by a range of economic projects and cooperation in the gas sector (apart from Russia, Iran is the only country importing Turkmen gas). Therefore, it seems natural for Ashgabat to strive to maintain friendly relations with Iran. Berdymukhammedov demonstrated to Iran that he intends to maintain correct, friendly ties. To prove his good intentions, he invited President Ahmadinejad to Ashgabat.
Berdymukhammedov’s visit to Tehran also gave him an opportunity to send an important message to the West. In order to understand it, it is sufficient to look at the following sentence from Berdymukhammedov’s statement made at the press conference. He declared that the “signing joint memoranda of understanding is a safe step to expand bilateral ties”. Does this mean that signing of other, more specific and binding documents would be unsafe? And why? The answer seems clear. Excessively close ties with Iran would certainly be interpreted by Washington and - to a lesser extent - also by Brussels as dangerous or even as a sign of hostility. Whereas maintaining good relations with Iran by a neighbouring country is more than understandable to the White House. Even though Washington strives to isolate the Islamic Republic, it does not protest against Armenia or Afghanistan maintaining good relations with Tehran. Like Turkmenistan, they cannot allow themselves to break or even seriously limit relations with their closest neighbour.
The conclusion is obvious. Berdymukhammedov wants close neighbourly ties with Iran, but does not want them to destroy his reputation in the West. Consequently, it can be assumed that - despite the significance of relations with Russia - Turkmenistan treats the cooperation with Western countries in the field of gas sector seriously and will try to expand it in the future. Given all that, it seems that it is Moscow, rather than Washington, who should be concerned with the results of Berdymukhammedov’s recent visit to Tehran.
on June 19th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
A bit late in the day, AP has carried a report about the prospects of a vital transport link to be created between Iran and Turkmenistan:
Media reporting “large-scale” Central Asia-Iran railway planned
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) - The Turkmen leader said he had secured Iran’s consent to jointly build a railway that would link ex-Soviet Central Asia to the Persian Gulf ports, official Turkmen media said Tuesday.
Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, who visited Tehran last week, said he received Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s support for the “North-South” railway that will cross from Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan and on to Iran’s Persian Gulf coast, the official daily Neutral Turkmenistan said.
“Our Iranian brothers have agreed to implement this large-scale project,” Neutral Turkmenistan quoted Berdymukhamedov as telling his ministers.
The newspaper said the railway deal was to be signed during a summit of leaders of Caspian Sea nations in Tehran later this year.
Turkmenistan is the second-biggest natural gas producer in the former Soviet Union after Russia. Turkmenistan’s immense natural gas resources and Kazakhstan’s booming oil industry play an increasingly important role in regional geopolitics.
The United States has long opposed the plans to export Central Asian hydrocarbons via Iran and supported new export routes bypassing the existing ones through Russia.
Russia scored a victory last month by securing a deal with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to build a pipeline that would carry Turkmen natural gas to Russia and on to Europe.
The railroad — that could carry up to 10 million metric tons of cargo annually — is part of a planned transport corridor that could link Russia and Eastern European countries with the Gulf countries and the Indian subcontinent.
on June 19th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
And here is a full copy of the safe communique referred to in the above post:
At the invitation of His Excellence Mahmud Ahmadinezhad, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Excellence Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow, the president of Turkmenistan, paid an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, heading a high-level political and business delegation, on 15-16 June 2007, or 25-26 Khordad 1386 by the solar calendar.
During the visit, His Excellence Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow, the president of Turkmenistan, had a meeting with the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamene’i, and held talks with Mahmud Ahmadinezhad, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the course of the talks, held in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, the presidents of the two countries discussed bilateral partnership as well as topical issues of regional and international importance.
Underlining the common principles of good neighbourliness, equality, justice, mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and adherence to universal principles, norms and regulations, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the president of Turkmenistan agreed on the following:
1. The sides, guided by the principle of good neighbourliness and common historical and cultural background, state their readiness for further enhancement of bilateral relations in the political, economic, scientific, technological, cultural and healthcare spheres.
2. The sides, with the aim of strengthening ties between the two states, stress the need for and the importance of contacts and consultations between officials of the two countries at various levels.
3. The sides, assuming that the border between the two countries are frontiers of peace, friendship and brotherhood, underline the need for a peaceful resolution of all border-related issues and for convening, within the next three months, the fifth session of the joint Turkmen-Iranian commission on consular, border and customs issues.
4. The sides, having pointed out the need for enhancing bilateral partnership in the energy sphere, emphasize the importance of continuation of exports of gas, electricity, oil and petrochemicals from Turkmenistan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as continuation of the implementation of bilateral accords in this sphere.
5. The sides underline their earnest efforts to ensure the implementation of accords achieved at the ninth session of the joint commission on economic partnership between Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, viewing this as an important factor in expanding bilateral trade and economic ties.
6. The sides, expressing their satisfaction with the present level of bilateral trade and economic ties, agree to expand trade and economic partnership and simplify terms and conditions for businessmen of both countries.
7. The sides emphasize the necessity of using water resources of the two countries based on bilateral accords and agreements signed.
8. The Islamic Republic of Iran, having underlined the importance of partnership in the transportation sphere, welcomes a proposal made by the Turkmen side to construct the Turkmenbasy-Gorgan railway line with the use of the railway network of the two countries.
9. The sides, taking into account the role and importance of air transportation in enhancing trade and economic relations, underline the usefulness of resuming flights between the two countries.
10. The two heads of state, having noted the importance of enhancing mutual ties in the humanitarian sphere, reiterate their mutual interest in deepening partnership in culture, art, tourism and sports, as well as in increasing contacts between creative, tourist and sports associations.
In this context, Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran express their adherence to the cause of preserving and strengthening spiritual, cultural and humanitarian ties between the peoples of the two countries.
11. The sides, having emphasized the need for boosting efforts to maintain peace and security in the region, support resolving regional problems via dialogue and by peaceful means.
12. The sides stress that the Caspian Sea remains an invariable zone of peace, friendship and brotherhood for the countries that share it, and underline the need for resolving all relevant issues by the five littoral countries by diplomatic means and methods.
13. The sides, welcoming the results of talks held between special representatives of the [Caspian] littoral countries to prepare for the second summit of the leaders of the Caspian littoral countries, support the convening of this summit as soon as possible and also underline the necessity of concluding a final agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.
14. The sides, expressing satisfaction with the results of bilateral discussions on Caspian Sea issues and its legal status, stress their intention to continue the talks at the expert level in order to achieve mutually acceptable solutions to issues of common interest.
15. Turkmenistan supports the active and positive role of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its foreign policy in resolving regional and international issues aimed at strengthening peace, stability and accord.
The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its support for Turkmenistan’s neutral status and commends Turkmenistan’s foreign policy aimed at strengthening regional and international stability, peace and accord.
16. The sides, stressing that they will not allow their territories to be used against each other and noting that the problems of terrorism and illicit drugs trafficking are common for the whole world, declare their readiness for stepping up partnership in the sphere of security to counter these challenges.
At the end of the visit, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow of Turkmenistan expressed his gratitude to the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmud Ahmadinezhad, for the warm reception and hospitality, and invited him to pay an official visit to Turkmenistan. The invitation was accepted with gratitude. The date of the visit will be agreed via diplomatic channels.
[The statement was] made in the city of Tehran 16 June 2007, or 26 Khordad 1386 by the solar calendar, in two authentic copies in the Turkmen and Persian languages, both of which have equal validity.
[Signed] President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow of Turkmenistan and President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad of the Islamic Republic of Iran