'Grateful for support in evacuating Korean nationals from Iran'
National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik met with Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation and promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries.
Cho welcomed the president's visit to the National Assembly and expressed hope that the trip would deepen bilateral ties. He also extended his personal gratitude for the president's role in helping Korean nationals safely evacuate from Iran last year and earlier this year. "As speaker of the National Assembly, I sincerely thank the president for his attention and support in ensuring our citizens could leave Iran safely," Cho said.
Cho said the two countries have consistently maintained summit-level exchanges since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, developing what he described as a "mutually beneficial partnership." He noted that economic cooperation had expanded significantly since Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov took office as president in 2007, with bilateral trade growing more than fivefold.
Cho also expressed hope for the success of Turkmenistan's "Revival of the Great Silk Road" initiative, which aims to position the country as a hub for Eurasian logistics. "The National Assembly will actively support efforts to translate our mutually beneficial cooperation — drawing on South Korea's advanced technology and Turkmenistan's abundant natural resources — into tangible results," he said.
Cho said he was pleased that a direct air route between the two countries had launched in July last year and that people-to-people exchanges were growing alongside rising interest in Korean culture. He asked for the president's continued attention and support in strengthening ties between the two parliaments.
President Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan places great importance on deepening its relationship with South Korea and charting the course of future cooperation. "Bilateral cooperation is developing actively across diverse fields, including culture, humanities, commerce and trade," he said.
He added that parliaments play a crucial role in promoting mutual understanding between the two nations. "We will work to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation through various means going forward," he said.
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