INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "DIALOGUE IS THE GUARANTEE OF PEACE" WAS HELD IN ASHGABAT
On December 11, 2022, at the initiative of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the Yyldyz Hotel hosted the International Conference “Dialogue is the Guarantee of Peace”, dedicated to the International Day of Neutrality and the 27th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutral status.
The high-level plenary session brought together the Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, members of the Milli Gengesh, heads of state agencies, turkmen and foreign diplomats - heads and representatives of diplomatic missions of Turkmenistan accredited abroad, as well as diplomatic missions of foreign states and authoritative international organizations operating in our country, including the UN and its specialized structures, representatives of public organizations and the media.
Among the guests of honor of the forum were participants of international and regional events held in the Turkmen capital on the eve of a significant date.
The participants listened with great attention to the Address of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which was read out by the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko.
Then the floor was given to numerous delegates of the forum, who thanked for the invitation to take part in the current conference and events on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the neutrality of Turkmenistan, congratulated the Turkmen people on the great national holiday.
Their vision of the positive role of independent neutral Turkmenistan in strengthening international relations was presented in speeches hybrid format by other foreign participants - heads of authoritative international organizations.
Among them were Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Central Asia, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Ms. Natalia Gherman, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Helga Maria Schmid sent a message, which was read by the head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat John MacGregor, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Zhang Ming, Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization, Ambassador Khusrav Noziri.
At the end of the plenary session, the work of the International Conference "Dialogue is the Guarantee of Peace" continued within the framework of three thematic sessions: "Dialogue as the basis for preventive activities and conflict prevention", "Strengthening food and environmental security through dialogue", "Multilateral cooperation in the information space and the role of information networks in establishing interethnic dialogue”.
Based on the results of the thematic sessions, the Final Document was adopted. At the end of the conference, meetings of its participants with representatives of various state agencies took place.
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EVENTS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CENTRAL ASIA-REPUBLIC OF KOREA COOPERATION FORUM IN ASHGABAT
On November 1, 2023, a business forum of young entrepreneurs was held in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan within the framework of the 16th Cooperation Forum “Central Asia-Republic of Korea”.
The first session of the business forum was devoted to government support measures for the development of youth entrepreneurship in the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea. Representatives of participating countries spoke about the national experiences and achievements in this area.
During the second session of the business forum, dedicated to the development of startup entrepreneurship and startup incubators, participants reviewed the activities of venture funds for launching innovative businesses.
There was also a thorough exchange of views between young entrepreneurs and businesspersons on introducing innovations into strategic areas of development based on the principles of “green economy” such as renewable energy, digital economy, biotechnology, robotics, smart cities, etc.
On the sidelines of the business forum, bilateral meetings and negotiations were also held between representatives of business circles from the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea.
Apart from that, within the framework of the Forum, six thematic sessions were held in the relevant ministries and state agencies of Turkmenistan.
The first session “Transport and Logistics” was dedicated to the topic “Interconnectedness of the transport and logistics infrastructure of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea: challenges and opportunities”.
In the second session “Healthcare and Medicine” were discussed the priorities for the development of rehabilitation medicine and the healthcare system in Central Asia.
The third session “Climate change and environmental protection” was held on the topic “Climate, Water, Food and Energy Nexus: Climate Change Adaptation, Water Management and Climate Smart Agriculture”.
The fourth session “Information and Communication Technologies” discussed issues of e-government and e-services, including prospects for using ICT to improve the provision of public services and interaction with citizens.
The fifth session “Education and Science” was devoted to innovative processes in science and education, with an emphasis on the opportunities and prospects for cooperation between the states of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea.
In the sixth session “Tourism” attention was paid to aspects of the development of sustainable tourism under the general motto “Revival of the Great Silk Road”.
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On October 31, 2023, a meeting of the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the heads Foreign Ministries of the Central Asian states was held in the the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, during which a thorough exchange of views took place on the most important topics of regional security, sustainable development and stability. Particular attention of the participants was paid to border security, climate change and ecology, as well as transport links.
Speaking at the meeting, OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid noted that this forum is aimed at expanding and strengthening interaction in solving pressing problems in the region in each of the above dimensions. In this context, the need for joint activities of all Central Asian countries and relevant international structures was emphasized. At the same time, the important role of projects and measures provided by the OSCE in this process was outlined.
During the meeting, the Ministers exchanged views on specific issues and objectives of cooperation, described the steps taken by each of the Central Asian states in these areas, and also came up with a number of important ideas and proposals aimed at consolidating efforts to ensure regional security and stability.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov during his speech emphasized that reliable border security is the basis for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region.
As part of the discussion of climate change and environmental issues, the participants also expressed a common opinion on the need to take joint measures to interact in this direction.
The Turkmen side emphasized that environmental safety remains a priority area of international cooperation of our state, first of all, this concerns project activities on rational environmental management and sustainable management of water resources. In this regard, R.Meredov noted the importance of the practical implementation of the proposal of the Turkmen side to develop a draft OSCE Comprehensive Environmental Program.
The minister also called on the meeting participants to support Turkmenistan’s idea of establishing a specialized structure - the Regional Center for Climate Technologies. In this regard, it was proposed to hold the OSCE Forum on Climate Change Technologies.
Turkmenistan also advocates promoting the initiative of the OSCE Secretary General to hold regular meetings with the ministers for environmental protection of Central Asian countries. As is known, the first such meeting within the framework of the Climate Conference in July of this year showed that this format is timely and in demand. In this regard, the Turkmen side expressed its readiness to host the next meeting of this format in 2024 in Turkmenistan.
Another pressing issue on the agenda was strengthening cooperation in a key segment of global development - sustainable transport. The participants noted the wide opportunities for consolidated actions in this direction, first of all, this concerns issues of stimulating transport links along the East-West routes.
The Turkmen side drew special attention of the participants to the initiative of the President of Turkmenistan to create a Central Asian transport and logistics platform, voiced at the fifth Consultative Meeting of the Leaders of Central Asian Countries in September this year in Dushanbe, which will allow optimizing routes and procedures, accelerating the transportation of goods and passengers. With this in mind, it is proposed to use the potential of the OSCE in the implementation of this idea, which is promising for the entire region.
The meeting participants expressed their readiness to continue an active and constructive dialogue on issues of ensuring sustainable and safe development in the region.
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ITTC-2023 Transport Exhibition opened in Ashgabat
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan has opened the exhibition "International Transport and Transit Corridors: Interconnection and Development - 2023" (ITTC-2023), which takes place within the framework of the international conference of the same name.
Organized by the Transport and Communications Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan and relevant institutions with the assistance of the ES "Turkmen Forum", the review brought together more than eight dozen local and foreign companies engaged in the transport sector on one site.
In an address to the participant of the ITTC-2023 exhibition and conference, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the event would give a significant impetus to the further development of partnership in the transport sector and the creation of a reliable base for regional transport infrastructure.
The participants of the exhibition had an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas, as well as to present new technologies and products that contribute to the development of transport infrastructure.
Local and foreign companies can find new partners and opportunities for cooperation in various projects at ITTC-2023. Thus, the exhibition is an important event contributing to the development of transport infrastructure and increasing the level of international cooperation in this area.
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On February 6, 2023, the regular 15th meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Consular, Border and Customs Issues was held in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. Heads and representatives of relevant ministries and law enforcement agencies of the two countries took part in its work.
The delegation of Turkmenistan at the meeting was headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev, the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as for Iranian expatriates Alireza Bikdeli.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the agreements reached at the 14th meeting of the intergovernmental commission, which was held in Tehran in January 2019. The parties exchanged views on the current state and prospects of bilateral relations and stressed the need for strict implementation of all agreements reached.
In particular, issues of improving the legal aspect of enhancing the mechanism of interaction in consular matters and in the field of information exchange between law enforcement agencies of the two countries, as well as expanding partnerships to establish effective management at border and customs checkpoints were considered.
Based on the results of the 15th meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Consular, Border and Customs Issues, the final protocol was signed.
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The fifth high-level EU–Georgia Strategic Security Dialogue took place on 25 January 2023 in Tbilisi. It reflected the strong level of commitment by both parties to take cooperation forward, including on foreign and security policy, in line with the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.
The parties highlighted the historic importance of the decision of the European Council of 23 June 2022 to recognise the European perspective to Georgia.
The participants discussed the consequences of the conflict between Russia and Georgia in August 2008, including the conflict dynamics in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia. They called on the Russian Federation to fully implement the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 ceasefire Agreement.
They also highlighted the important role of the EU Monitoring Mission for peace and security in Georgia, and underlined the necessity of ensuring the full implementation of its mandate. The European Union reaffirmed its unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
The meetings of the high-level EU–Georgia Strategic Security Dialogue are held once a year and cover issues of common interest in the field of foreign and security policy.
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