President Vladimir Putin and President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov took part in a ceremony to lay the foundations of the Alexander Pushkin Russian-Turkmen School in Ashgabat. At the ceremony, Mr Putin spoke in support of promoting study of the Russian language in Turkmenistan, saying that knowledge of Russian would open up new opportunities for young people in the country and help them to get to know modern Russia better. The President said that this would be a positive force for cementing the relations between the two countries.
Mr Putin and Mr Berdymukhammedov placed a commemorative capsule in the building’s foundation, bearing a text in which they expressed their desire to support and develop friendly relations between Russia and Turkmenistan for the benefit of future generations in both countries.
Earlier in the day, the two Presidents held talks during which they discussed a broad range of bilateral cooperation issues, in particular regarding the energy, trade and humanitarian sectors. The two leaders adopted a joint statement following their talks.