Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The most discussed topic in Uzbekistan is the state visit of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, which is regarded as a significant event in the domestic and foreign policy of our country.

The preliminary results of the visit, the results of the negotiations confirmed the words of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, voiced at the meeting of the distinguished guest, that this visit will be "an important milestone in the history of the centuries-old brotherhood of our peoples, based on strong ties of friendship, good neighborliness, trust and mutual support."

The qualitative results of the current talks between state leaders are not only related to the huge economic and infrastructural potential of our states in establishing interregional cooperation.

Our peoples have really deep, historical roots of living together and interacting.

In Central Asia, including on the territory of Turkmenistan, there were ancient agricultural centers such as the Jeytun culture of the 6th-5th millennium BC. Here they began to smelt copper, breed cattle, laid the foundation for irrigation farming in the region.

The first state, the center of which was in the territory of Turkmenistan, was Parthia with its capital in the city of Nisa. Another important center was the city of Merv.

In the future, the Turkmen lands were part of the Central Asian states of the Tahirids, Samanids, and Seljuks. In the XIII century, the Turkmens were part of the State of Khorezmshahs and, together with the ancestors of the Uzbeks, fiercely resisted the Mongol troops of Genghis Khan.

Uzbeks and Turkmens have traditional friendly and even family roots. We are bound by a common history, culture, religious values, traditions and customs. Relations between the heads of the two states are based on personal respect and trust.

Therefore, it is no coincidence that one of the priorities of bilateral relations is the cultural and humanitarian sphere.

There is a huge mutual interest in the arts and literature of the fraternal countries. Cultural figures of both countries, science and education work closely and take an active part in all events organized on the territory of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

In order to preserve the traditions, language and culture of the Turkmens, from the first years of independence, the Republican Turkmen Cultural Center was established in our country, which unites 6 Turkmen cultural centers in different regions of Uzbekistan.

At the same time, people’s diplomacy is of great importance, through which a number of works are carried out to strengthen cultural ties between the two peoples.

In recent years, it has become a good tradition to hold joint concerts of art masters of the two countries, to take part in international creative festivals organized in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on a reciprocal basis.

Mutual Days of Culture, cinema, exhibitions, meetings with writers and poets, concerts demonstrate the richest historical and cultural heritage, nature and talented people of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The opening of the Ashgabat park and the Makhtumkuli monument in Tashkent, as well as the Uzbek-Turkmen friendship house and the Ulli Khovli complex in Khorezm region, have become a vivid symbol of eternal friendship, unity and cultural closeness of our peoples.

Young people, who constitute the main group of the population of our countries, play an important role in the progressive development of bilateral cooperation. There are 45 schools in Uzbekistan that teach the Turkmen language.

The Nukus State Pedagogical Institute named after Ajiniyaz has a faculty for training teachers for primary classes in teaching in the Turkmen language, and the Karakalpak State University has a faculty of Turkmen philology.

About 2,000 citizens of Turkmenistan study at the higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan during the academic year.

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have great potential for the development of tourism, our people carefully preserve their rich historical and cultural heritage, unique natural sites, to which there is widespread interest.

The cities of Merv and Kunya-Urgench, along with Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara, are a variety of monuments that have survived the devastating effects of time and equally attract the attention of both archaeologists and tourists.

The creation of unified tourist routes will allow even more people from all over the world to discover our countries.

Uzbekistan is confident that today’s talks will play an important role in the further development of comprehensive cooperation, further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two fraternal countries and bring it to a qualitatively new level.

Alisher Sabirov

Head of Department, International Institute of Central Asia