President Asif Ali Zardari will visit Turkmenistan on Thursday to attend the International Forum on “Interrelation of Times and Civilizations – Basis of Peace and Development” being held in Ashgabat on October 10-11.

“At the Forum, President Zardari will underline the importance of the values of peace, unity and development for the region,” the Foreign Office said in a press release today.

He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with the Turkmen leadership on the sidelines of the Forum,the statement added.

The International Forum is being held to mark the 300th birth anniversary of Magtymguly Faragi, a great Turkmen thinker, poet and philosopher.

Earlier, the president called for further expanding bilateral ties with Turkmenistan in all fields of mutual interest. The president expressed these views while talking to the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to its relations with Turkmenistan, saying that Pakistan-Turkmenistan relations were based on a common vision for peace and prosperity in the region.

Pakistan, Turkmenistan to develop closer ties in trade, investment

He added that the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries signified the mutual desire to further strengthen bilateral understanding and cooperation.