Please let us know the major issues discussed and agreed during the summit.
President of Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in paid a state visit to Turkmenistan in April 2019. It was his first visit to Central Asia after his appointment to the post of the President.
During the meetings President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and President of Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in agreed to increase their countries' energy cooperation while also expanding their bilateral ties to new areas, including education.
Two leaders noted the countries have steadily improved their ties in various areas since they established diplomatic ties in 1992, which were upgraded to a mutually beneficial partnership in 2008.
The both leaders welcomed the construction of Turkmenistan's biggest petrochemical plant in Kiyanly, which was built by an international consortium led by a South Korean engineering company.
The leaders have also agreed to expand the countries' cooperation to new areas, including the health and medical care, ICT and environment sectors, which they said will lead to improvements in people's livelihoods in the Central Asian country.
Moon explained his country's New Northern Policy, which is aimed at greatly boosting his country's economic and diplomatic relations with Central and North Asian countries.
“The two leaders agreed to harmonize the New Northern Policy that our government is emphasizing and Turkmenistan's strategy to build a logistics center so they will make practical progress that can benefit the people of both countries”.
The leaders highlighted the importance of cooperation in the education and cultural sectors in promoting their people's mutual understanding and agreed to further expand the countries' people-to-people exchanges.
After their bilateral summit, the leaders attended a signing ceremony for 25 new agreements, including nine signed by their governments, on cooperation in various areas, including forestry and ICT.
Among those signed were a memorandum of understanding, signed by the two Turkmen and Korean commerce ministers, on promoting cooperation in a wide range of industrial sectors ranging from energy, logistics and communications to finance, construction and broadcasting.

How is the past, present and the future of economic cooperation between Korea & Turkmenistan, according to Your Excellency’s opinion.
Today for about 20 Korean companies are operating in Turkmenistan, including such conglomerates as Hyundai, LG and SK. According to statistics, most of them work successfully and the important thing that there is an intention to further develop business with Turkmenistan. I think this is due to the making of a huge work under the leadership of President Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the policy of “open door” and the positive assessment of the investment climate in our country.
I should note that there is a basis for expanding economic cooperation. It is also obvious that the potential has not yet been exhausted or even fully utilized. This is also evidenced by leaps in trade turnover over the last 5years, which reached 360 million dollars. So we have something to strive for, there are reserves for further deepening of cooperation.
Moreover, it should be noted that this aspiration is welcomed at the high level; each meeting of the two heads of state provides a powerful impetus for future development. Here it will be appropriate to quote the President of Korea Moon Jae-in “Turkmenistan and Korea are ideal partners”.
He also marked that our nations will actively use our strengths to continue bilateral projects. Over the past 5 years, 4 state visits have already been conducted and we hope to add another one soon.  At present time we are preparing a new package of bilateral agreements and joint projects.

What is the significance of Turkmenistan Neutrality for not only Turkmenistan citizens, but also regional countries including the Central Asia countries & former CIS countries?
First a little background. Neutrality of Turkmenistan was unanimously adopted by General Assembly of UN on December, 12, 1995.  On February 2, 2017, the UN General Assembly by its resolution proclaimed December 12 as the International Day of Neutrality. The international institution was preceded by the consideration of the Ashgabat outcome document, which was the logical conclusion of the International Conference held in 2015 in Turkmenistan on the policy of neutrality.
As we know, neutrality in the system of international law is a policy of not participating in war and not participating in military blocs in any forms. In today's world, the policy of neutrality and its role in ensuring security in certain regions, as well as maintaining peace and good-neighbourly relations, is highly appreciated by the international community and of course by our neighboring countries. 
It was the aspiration to emphasize such a role of neutrality in the system of international relations that pushed the International Conference participating countries in 2015 to apply to the UN with a proposal to establish this commemorative date. The initiative came from Turkmenistan, which has been the only permanently neutral state adopted by UN since 1995, and this year we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of acquiring the status of neutrality.
On December 11-12, 2020 Ashgabat will host the International Conference <Policy of Neutrality and its importance in ensuring international peace, security and sustainable development>. Heads of state and government of many countries, representatives of the world political elite, international and regional organizations have been invited. We have already sent out invitations to the leadership of the Republic of Korea and will be grateful for the participation of the Korean side, and happy for the full support and cooperation of Republic of Korea on the policy issues based on the principles of positive neutrality. 
Based on these principles, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy was established in Ashgabat in 2007. The headquarters of this United Nations peacekeeping structure has become an important platform for constructive dialogue for stable and sustainable development in the region. Regular seminars, round tables and multilateral meetings with the participation of delegations from Central Asian countries have made it possible to focus attention on the role of preventive diplomacy as a tool to ensure security and stability in the world, the management of trans boundary water and energy resources, the fight against trans boundary crime and drug trafficking, and the stabilization of the situation in neighboring Afghanistan.
Within the framework of its mandate, the Centre today is an optimal platform for interaction between the countries of the region and the active involvement of international organizations in regional issues. The Centre's potential will be in demand in such critical areas as energy security, transport and communications, environmental security and many others.
At the same time, Turkmenistan pays special attention to transport diplomacy. Today the world has faced many issues against the backdrop of a global pandemic. Our neighboring countries have also faced with the virus. Taking into consideration the complexity of the current situation, Turkmenistan, first of all, continued the movement of all trucks with goods, in particular food and basic necessities, of course, in compliance with sanitary norms and regulations.
By order of the President of Turkmenistan it was sent humanitarian aid to Iran in March, which included medical supplies and food. In April, the humanitarian aid was sent also to Afghanistan and other countries.

How is the trend of Korean tourists to Turkmenistan and which tourists' attractions would Your Excellency like to recommend for Korean tourists including foreign visitors.
The development of tourism is the most important direction of social policy of Turkmenistan. There are more than 200 tourist destinations and about 105 historical monuments in our country. The work on inclusion of new objects in the existing routes is continuously carried out. These activities cover, in particular, the National Tourist Zone "Avaza", the sights of Koytendag Mountains, Garagum desert, Sumbar canyon and many others.
Today, three major historical and architectural sites - Kunyaurgench, Merv and Nisa - have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Each of them is of great cultural and scientific value, and all of them have become favorite places for foreign visitors. In the future, appropriate steps will be taken to include in the UNESCO World Heritage List the unique nature spots of Koytendag and other natural monuments of the reserve. In this regard, appropriate work is being done to improve the picturesque natural corners of Koytendag and to create favorable conditions for tourists - the construction of hotels and related infrastructure. I hope that Korean tourists will get good impressions of the beauty of our country.

Last but not least, please touch upon Turkmenistan’s investment enviroments for Korean investors.
Today we are witnessing of major changes in the international arena. New economic centers are being strengthened, one of which is Asia. Turkmenistan is positively watching the growth of the Korean economy. On the same time, our country rich in energy resources and has a huge and attractive platform for investment. In this context it should be noted that Turkmenistan is one of the  important part of New Northern Economic Policy of Republic of Korea. 
For example, within the framework of the video meeting, on April, 17th an exchange of views on “Korea-Turkmenistan Business Council Meeting” took place.
During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of cooperation in the construction of large gas-chemical complexes and plants for desalination of sea water, cooperation in the field of shipbuilding and marine equipment, as well as the creation of a center for access to information and the holding of seminars for railway specialists, the exchange of knowledge and best practices and other pressing topics of mutual interest.
Seoul and Ashgabat also pledged to expand cooperation in sectors such as medicine, information and communications technology, and the environment. There is cooperation in education and culture, including the setup of a branch of King Sejong Institute in Turkmenistan. It was opened last year by the participation of the first lady of Korea. In concluding, I believe that the friendly and partnership relations between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea will be strengthened year after year, reaching new strategic horizons for the benefit of the peoples of our countries.

Report  Kim Do-kyun