Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL VISIT 
			TO TURKMENISTAN 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	04/10/94 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE STATE BANQUET HOSTED BY HIS 
			EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT 
			SAPARMURAD NIYAZOV 


 
 My wife and I are greatly honoured by your kind invitation
to visit Turkmenistan.   We are indeed delighted to be here.
The friendliness  and  cordiality  that  we  have  witnessed
convince us that our visit to your country will be memorable
and fruitful.   We  look forward to seeing and learning more
of your beautiful country in the next few days.
2.  A few months ago in  June,  we  had  the  privilege  and
honour of receiving you in Malaysia.  You  will recall  that
we had fruitful discussions and the opportunity to  exchange
views  on  wide-ranging   issues  of  common   interest,  in
particular on ways and means of bringing our  two  countries
closer.   Generally  we  were  in  agreement that there is a
great potential  to  expand  the  scope  and  depth  of  our
relations.
3.    My   visit  to  your  country  provides  me  with  the
opportunity to reaffirm Malaysia's commitment  to  cooperate
with Turkmenistan and to strengthen our bilateral relations.
I am confident that  over  the  next  few  days,   we  shall
together   be  able  to  identify  more   clearly  the  many
opportunities for  trade  and  investment  between  our  two
countries.
4.  I have brought along  with  me  a  number  of  prominent
Malaysian  businessmen  and  investors  who  will  have  the
opportunity to familiarise themselves with local  conditions
as well as meet and discuss with their Turkmen colleagues on
possible areas  of  cooperation  and  common  endeavour  for
mutual benefit.   I  believe significant opportunities exist
for   such   cooperation   in  the  petrochemical  industry,
infrastructure development and  tourism.   As a substantial
trading  nation,  Malaysia  will  also  do  what  we  can to
facilitate trade and to  ensure  business  cooperation  with
Turkmenistan.
5.    Recently in August,  a  team  of  Malaysian  officials
visited  Ashgabat  and  met  with your officials to identify
aspects  of  economic  planning   and   development,   where
Malaysia's  experience might be of interest and relevance to
Turkmenistan.  We are indeed happy to be able to  share  our
experience  with  you  and  we  look  forward  to  continued
interaction,  in  particular,  under  Malaysia's   Technical
Cooperation Programme.
6.   I note with interest that many countries in this region
are  undergoing  positive economic transformation.   This is
encouraging, particularly in this present era when  economic
capacity,  to a great extent, influences the general conduct
of international relations.    Developing  countries  should
cooperate  and  strengthen  ties with one another to develop
their respective economic capacities.    Sustained  economic
prosperity will enable us to become respected members of the
international community.
7.      The  key to prosperity for all nations lies in their
capacity to cope with global integration.  The challenge  to
the  world  as  a  whole  in this age, is to prove ourselves
capable of integrating all countries, big and  small,  fully
into  global  economic  processes.    Today,  there is rapid
integration  of  the  global  economy  through   overlapping
regionalisation  processes.    The  Asia- Pacific region, to
which  Malaysia  and  the  nations  of  the  Association  of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) belong, is in the fore-front
of  this  inexorable process.  We look forward to our region
interacting steadily with the region  of  Central  Asia,  as
indeed  with  all  the  regions  of  the  world.   Bilateral
relations between Malaysia and Turkmenistan  will,  in  this
regard,  pave  the  way  for greater cooperation between our
respective regions.
8.   May I once again on behalf of my wife  and  members  of
the  Malaysian  delegation,  as  well as myself, express our
sincere  appreciation  and  gratitude  for   your   generous
hospitality  and  for  receiving  us  with  such  warmth and
friendship.   The ties that  we  are  forging  through  your
recent   visit   to   Malaysia   and  through  my  visit  to
Turkmenistan on  this  ocasion,  will  constitute  the  firm
foundation  for what I believe will be substantial relations
and cooperation between our two countries and peoples.