Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rasit Meredow in Beijing on Monday.

High-level exchanges between China and Turkmenistan have been close, and mutual trust is solid, Wang said. 

This year, the two countries' leaders jointly announced the elevation of the China-Turkmenistan relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which has established a new position for the two countries' relationship at the bilateral level and opened a new era of cooperation for the partnership, he said.

Wang said that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aligns with the current trend of development and has received broad support from the international community. 

Turkmenistan is a key partner in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and China believes that Turkmenistan's participation in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will inject new impetus into major cooperation between China and Turkmenistan, pushing forward the progress of landmark projects between the two countries, he added.

Meredow said Turkmenistan highly appreciates the strategic significance of the China-Turkmenistan relationship and cherishes the high-level nature of this relationship as well as the deep friendship between the two peoples.

Turkmenistan looks forward to further exploring the potential for cooperation in various fields and promoting the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Turkmenistan, Meredow added. 

The Third Belt and Road Forum for international Cooperation is a significant global event, he said, adding that Turkmenistan actively supports and participates in the BRI, hoping to enhance connectivity in the Eurasian region by aligning it with the revival of the ancient Silk Road.

(Cover: A cargo train carrying goods from Turkmenistan arrives in Xi'an in northwest China, August 31, 2022. /CFP)