Turkmenistan: Medvedev to Visit Ashgabat in September

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is slated to visit Ashgabat in September.

Both he and his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, will watch the finale of the Silk Road Rally, a car race from Kazan to Ashgabat, on September 13, the semi-official Turkmenistan.ru reports on July 1.

Both presidents agree the rally is "an important event beyond the purely sporting action." The heads of state discussed the upcoming visit along with "the implementation of bilateral agreements, priority areas for further constructive cooperation, especially in the energy sector, as well as topical international policy issues of mutual interest" during a recent phone call, the report added.

Medvedev last visited the Turkmen capital in July 2008.