Text of PM’s Media Statement in Turkmenistan

Published By : Admin | July 11, 2015 | 15:20 IST
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His Excellency Mr President,

Members of the media,

It is a great pleasure to visit Turkmenistan. I am also delighted to see Ashgabat. It stands on a once thriving trade route since ancient times. It is now a beautiful 'Ak Shaharim' or the White City. It reflects your great vision and the nation's prosperity.

Mr. President, I am very grateful to you and the people of Turkmenistan for a very warm welcome and generous hospitality.

Our long standing and deep-rooted civilisational and cultural ties are well known. It has created a sense of familiarity and goodwill between our people. It is a strong foundation of close relations between our two countries.

India attaches great importance to this relationship. There is enormous potential for cooperation between India, a nation of 1.25 billion people with a large and rapidly growing economy, and Turkmenistan, a nation rich in resources.

As India deepens its relations with Central Asia, Turkmenistan will play a crucial role in it.

We have shared interests in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and Central Asia. We also have common purpose in combating terrorism and extremism in our region.

Connecting South and Central Asia will open up new economic opportunities in our region and beyond.

I thank Mr. President for sharing this vision and for his strong support to the relationship.

The most significant initiative in our relationship is the TAPI Gas Pipeline. This could transform regional economic cooperation and bring prosperity along the route. We welcomed the agreements between the four countries for the pipeline. We underlined the need to implement the project quickly.

I also proposed to President that we should explore multiple options, including the additional possibility of land-sea route through Iran.

I conveyed our interest in long term investment in the energy sector in Turkmenistan. We welcome the decision by ONGC Videsh Limited to open an office in Ashgabat.

We had a very positive discussion on India's interest in investment in downstream industries, including petrochemicals and fertilizer. The Memorandum of Understanding in the fertilizer sector will enable long term arrangements for supply of fertilizers from here to India.

Connectivity is an area of priority for both countries. If we use the Iran route, Ashgabat is the first capital we would reach in Central Asia.

We are grateful for Turkmenistan’s support to India joining the Ashgabat Agreement on trade and transit. I have also proposed that Turkmenistan becomes a member of the International North South Transport Corridor.

Together with the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran rail link, and India's proposed investment in Chahbahar Port in Iran, these initiatives will strengthen connectivity between our countries.

Training and human resource development is an important area of cooperation. India will enhance its training scholarship programme. I welcome the upgrading of the Turkmen India Industrial Training Institute in Ashgabat.

The agreements on sports and tourism will deepen the contacts between our people.

Later today, I will have the pleasure of unveiling the bust of Mahatma Gandhi. It will be a reminder of our shared commitment to the cause of a peaceful, inclusive and a just world.

I am looking forward to the inauguration of the Centre of Yoga and Traditional Medicines. It is a tribute to our cultural links. It also gives us opportunities to revive our very old tradition of fruitful cooperation in traditional medicines. I also proposed to him that Ashgabat could be developed as an International Centre for Holistic Healthcare. I offered full support for it.

The defence agreement is a reflection of our shared interest in closer security cooperation, including in combating terrorism.

I am grateful to President and the people of Turkmenistan for the support in making the International Day of Yoga on June 21 a huge global success.

I congratulated the President on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Permanent Neutrality by Turkmenistan. India acknowledges the contributions of this policy to peace and stability in Turkmenistan and the wider region.

Again, Mr. President, this has been a short but very productive visit. I am confident that our relationship will grow in strength in the coming years.

I look forward to receiving you in India, Mr. President, in the near future.

Thank you.

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While building a healthy planet, let us ensure that no one is left behind: PM Modi at World Health Assembly
May 20, 2025
QuoteThe theme of the World Health Assembly this year is ‘One World for Health’, It resonates with India’s vision for global health: PM
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QuoteThe health of the world depends on how well we care for the most vulnerable: PM
QuoteThe Global South is particularly impacted by health challenges, India’s approach offers replicable, scalable and sustainable models: PM
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Excellencies and Delegates,Namaste. Warm greetings to everyone at the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly.

Friends,

The theme of the World Health Assembly this year is ‘One World for Health’. It resonates with India’s vision for global health. When I addressed this gathering in 2023, I had spoken about ‘One Earth, One Health’. The future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration.

Friends,

Inclusion is at the core of India’s health reforms. We run Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme. It covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. This programme was recently extended to cover all Indians above the age of 70 years. We have a network of thousands of health and wellness centres. They screen and detect diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Thousands of public pharmacies provide high-quality medicines at far less than the market price.

Friends,

Technology is an important catalyst to improve health outcomes. We have a digital platform to track vaccination of pregnant women and children. Millions of people have a unique digital health identity. It is helping us integrate benefits, insurance, records and information. With telemedicine, nobody is too far from a doctor. Our free telemedicine service has enabled over 340 million consultations.

Friends,

Due to our initiatives, there has been a heartening development. The Out-of-Pocket Expenditure as percentage of Total Health Expenditure has fallen significantly. At the same time, Government Health Expenditure has gone up considerably.

Friends,

The health of the world depends on how well we care for the most vulnerable. The Global South is particularly impacted by health challenges. India’s approach offers replicable, scalable and sustainable models. We would be happy to share our learnings and best practices with the world, especially the Global South.

Friends,

In June, the 11th International Day of Yoga is coming up. This year, the theme is ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’. Being from the nation which gave Yoga to the world, I invite all countries to participate.

Friends,

I congratulate the WHO and all member states on the successful negotiations of the INB treaty. It is a shared commitment to fight future pandemics with greater cooperation. While building a healthy planet, let us ensure that no one is left behind. Let me close with a timeless prayer from the Vedas. सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः। सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद् दुःखभाग्भवेत्॥ Thousands of years ago, our sages prayed that everyone should be healthy, happy and free from disease. May this vision unite the world.

Thank You!