MEETING OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF TURKMENISTAN WITH THE EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CENTRAL ASIA
On December 11, 2022, on the sidelines of the International Conference "Dialogue is a Guarantee of Peace", timed to coincide with the International Day of Neutrality and the 27th anniversary of the Neutrality of Turkmenistan, a meeting was held between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and the Special Representative of the European Union for Central Asia Teri Hakala.
During the meeting, a wide range of issues related to the current agenda and further development of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union in a bilateral and multilateral formats was discussed.
The parties noted the positive dynamics of the joint events held this year, which are rich in content, as well as the intensification of contacts at various levels. In this regard, the European diplomat stressed that Brussels highly appreciates and supports the expansion of an active dialogue with the Turkmen side.
The officials stated that Turkmenistan and the EU demonstrate the coincidence or similarity of positions on many issues of international and regional politics.
Speaking about the constructive building of relations between the states of the region, the effectiveness of the established mechanism of cooperation between the EU and the countries of Central Asia was confirmed.
Diplomats called for strengthening inter-parliamentary ties between Turkmenistan and the EU.
At the meeting, energy and transport sectors, cooperation in the fight against climate change, in the field of environmental protection and environmental security were also identified as promising areas of cooperation. In this context, the parties agreed on the need to promote specific programs and projects in the areas of vocational education, green energy, environmental protection and ecosystems.
Discussing the significance of the ongoing events within the framework of the Ashgabat International Week dedicated to the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan, T.Hakala stressed that the EU fully supports the pragmatic proposals and initiatives of Turkmenistan, voiced at high-level meetings and at various international platforms, which are aimed at maintaining political and economic stability, strengthening the culture of peace and trust in the regional and global dimension.
Related items
-
MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CYPRUS
On October 23, 2023, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting “Central Asia - European Union,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.Meredov held a meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus Constantinos Kombos.
During the discussions, the ministers emphasized the relevance of developing political and diplomatic interaction. In particular, the expediency of parallel accreditation of ambassadors in both countries was noted. In addition, the heads of foreign ministries discussed issues of cooperation on the platforms of international organizations as a tool for strengthening interstate relations.
The need to create an appropriate legal framework was emphasized. In this context, the parties expressed mutual interest in developing a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and Cyprus.
The ministers also noted the potential for the development of trade and economic interaction. In this regard, it was proposed to hold consultations on the exchange of business delegations and the identification of specific areas of trade and economic cooperation.
-
As part of the ministerial meeting Central Asia-EU, held in Luxembourg on October 23, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.Meredov held bilateral negotiations with the European Union Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.
The main focus was on regional initiatives of the Team Europe program. These discussions created the basis for an in-depth dialogue on the possibility of cooperation in the fields of energy and transport. Turkmenistan's progress in the process of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) was also presented. The head of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan noted that the Turkmen side highly appreciates the EU’s support in this direction.
J.Urpilainen emphasized the readiness to provide technical assistance, taking into account Turkmenistan’s desire for WTO membership and the reforms being carried out in this regard.
The main discussion during the meeting concerned the energy sector, in particular hydrogen energy, reducing methane emissions and converting natural gas. The Foreign Minister gave examples of joint projects between Turkmenistan and «GIZ» in the field of hydrogen and methane research.
The parties emphasized the need for a systematic approach to energy projects and emphasized the importance of jointly developing an Action Plan for cooperation in this area.
R.Meredov also informed the European Commissioner about the development of a Road Map for 2023-2024, aimed at developing international cooperation and studying the issue of Turkmenistan joining the Global Methane Commitment.
J.Urpilainen noted that the European Union is considering the possibility of concluding an agreement with the GIZ project in the field of green energy, which is aimed at developing initiatives in this area.
In the context of the ongoing work to create a specialized mechanism for coordinating the activities and initiatives of the Team Europe project, the head of the European structure invited Turkmenistan to actively interact with the EU within the framework of this new mechanism.
Opportunities for cooperation in the field of digital communications and water management were also discussed, given the relevance of the latter issue for the region. The EU Commissioner highly appreciated the effectiveness of the Team Europe program in the field of digital integration and confirmed the readiness to intensify cooperation with Turkmenistan in this direction.
During the meeting, J.Urpilainen conveyed an invitation to the Turkmen delegation to the Investor Forum, which will be held in Brussels in January 2024.
-
On October 22-23, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov has been staying on a working visit to Luxembourg to participate in the 19th ministerial meeting “Central Asia - European Union”.
The event is attended by the foreign ministers of the countries of Central Asia and the European Union in the “5+27” format. The purpose of the meeting is to outline plans for the development of regional cooperation, as well as exchange views on current issues on the global and regional agenda.
In the framework of the working visit of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, a number of bilateral meetings are planned to discuss issues of intensifying and expanding both bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
-
The Turkmen delegation took part in the 9th regional meeting of the National Committees on Trade Facilitation in Central Asia in Tashkent. This is reported by the website of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan.
The central theme of the event, organized within the framework of the project of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), was the discussion of trade facilitation issues. In particular, initiatives to digitalize trade procedures and improve access to information for the private sector were considered.
In this regard, representatives of the World Trade Center familiarized the participants with the work of Trading Portal, which was recently established in Turkmenistan.
Representatives of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan together with experts of the International Union of Road Transport and employees of the State Customs Committee under the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Uzbekistan also visited the customs post "Yallama" on the Uzbek-Kazakh border.
-
VAKHTANG GOMELAURI HOSTED THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR OF THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN
The Minister of the Interior of the Kingdom of Spain - Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez, together with the delegation, paid an official visit to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Within the framework of the visit, the Ministers of Internal Affairs of the two countries held an official meeting.
The parties discussed the importance of tight and effective cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Georgia and the Kingdom of Spain. During the meeting, the role of police attaches was highlighted in the development of cooperation between the law enforcement bodies, lately conducted joint operations were further positively evaluated.
Vakhtang Gomelauri expressed hope that the issue of signing agreement on mutual recognition of driving licenses between the parties will successfully be completed in the nearest future. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia noted that as a result of the amendments implemented in the national legislation of Georgia, the Georgian driving licenses were harmonized with the EU standards.
During the meeting, the Ministers of Internal Affairs of the two countries signed a protocol between Georgia and the Kingdom of Spain on the implementation of the "Agreement between the European Union and Georgia on the readmission of persons residing without authorization”. The mentioned agreement will contribute to strengthening cooperation between Georgia and Spain in the field of fighting against illegal migration effectively.
At the end of the meeting, the Minister of the Interior of the Kingdom of Spain thanked Georgian colleague for the hospitality and expressed readiness to continue active collaboration with the Georgian side on priority issues for the law enforcement agencies of the two countries.
