On October 23, 2023, in Luxembourg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov took part in the 19th ministerial meeting “Central Asia - European Union”. In his statement, he highlighted the main areas of cooperation with the EU and priorities in interaction, which are aimed at the long term.

First, the importance of maintaining international peace and security is emphasized. In this context, the head of Foreign ministry especially drew attention to the initiative to develop a Global Security Strategy put forward by the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. The Turkmen diplomat informed about the main directions of this Strategy, focused on preventive diplomacy, using neutrality for peaceful solutions and restoring trust and dialogue.

Second, issues of economic cooperation with the EU are highlighted. In this regard, the minister emphasized the importance of interregional trade, economic and financial partnership. He noted the EU's support in strengthening transit links and developing the private sector in Central Asia. The Foreign minister also touched upon the issue of Turkmenistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization and the need for further interaction with European partners in this direction.

Third, noting the important role of creating new transport links connecting Central Asia and Europe, R.Meredov highlighted multilateral efforts to develop the Caspian Sea-Black Sea route. A proposal was put forward to hold a high-level meeting in Turkmenistan in 2024 to further strengthen transport connectivity.

Fourth, speaking about cooperation in the energy sector, the Turkmen diplomat indicated that the transportation of energy resources is of crucial importance for Turkmenistan. Particular emphasis was placed on expanding gas exports to Europe through the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline and promoting international cooperation in the clean and renewable energy sectors. In this context, the head of the Foreign ministry called for support for two UN General Assembly resolutions initiated by Turkmenistan on sustainable transport and on the mobility of energy resources.

Fifth, the minister reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s commitment to environmental protection and mitigation of climate change. He spoke about national programs such as the “Green Belt” and voiced the head of state’s proposal to create a Regional Center for Climate Technologies in Ashgabat to solve the problem of climate change.

Sixth, again noting the importance of education as the basis of the country’s socio-economic development, R.Meredov highly appreciated the EU Erasmus + program and proposed strengthening ties between Turkmen and European educational institutions.

In conclusion, the Minister emphasized the huge potential for interaction in various sectors, including healthcare and the digital economy.

As a result of the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, the Joint Roadmap for deepening ties between the EU and Central Asia, as well as the Joint Communiqué of the 19th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting, were adopted.

The participating countries of the format supported the holding of the next anniversary ministerial meeting “Central Asia - EU” in 2024 in Turkmenistan.

On October 23, 2023, in the framework of participation in the 19th ministerial meeting “Central Asia - European Union”, bilateral negotiations were held between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Luminita Odobescu.

At the beginning of the conversation, L.Odobescu emphasized the role of Central Asia as a key partner of Romania. It was noted that the country acts as a link that strengthens cooperation between the Central Asian region and the EU. Turkmenistan was named one of Romania’s priority partners in the region.

Considering the political and diplomatic aspects of interaction, R.Meredov drew attention to the history of bilateral relations. The importance of the first visit of the President of Turkmenistan to Romania in 2008 was emphasized, which laid the foundation for further cooperation.

The parties recognized the importance of mutual support in the international space. In particular, the Turkmen side expressed gratitude to Romania for its support in the adoption of resolutions of the UN General Assembly initiated by Turkmenistan.

In the field of trade and economic cooperation, the main attention was paid to the potential of joint projects, including the fields of transport and energy. In this context, the parties especially noted cooperation within the framework of the Working Group on Energy. The importance of the Caspian Sea - Black Sea transport corridor was emphasized.

The parties confirmed their interest in continuing cooperation in the field of digitalization.

During the conversation, issues of humanitarian cooperation were discussed. Particular attention is paid to issues of interaction in the field of education, as well as exchange programs in this direction. Currently, about 300 Turkmen students are studying in Romania. The commitment to partnership in this direction was reinforced by the Cooperation Program signed in 2023 between the ministries of education of both countries. In addition, the Turkmen side confirmed the importance of short-term diplomatic training for young diplomats at the Nicolae Titulescu University.

Concluding the meeting, the ministers signed an Action Plan for 2024-2025 between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania. This document is an expression of common aspirations to further strengthen interaction between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

On October 23, 2023, on the sidelines of the Central Asia-EU ministerial meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with the Federal Minister of European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria Alexander Schallenberg.

During the negotiations, the parties discussed the state and prospects for the development of bilateral relations. Emphasizing the dynamic nature of relations between the two countries, the importance of interaction at international platforms, in particular at the UN, was noted. In this context, R.Meredov expressed gratitude to the Austrian side for supporting the neutrality status of Turkmenistan.

Attention was also paid to UN resolutions initiated by Turkmenistan over the past 16 years. These resolutions focus on issues of sustainable transport, the role of energy, ecology, global and regional security. At the same time, A.Schallenberg noted the importance of Turkmenistan’s active diplomatic position and peace-loving initiatives.

An important topic of the meeting was the role of Central Asia in the OSCE, in connection with which Turkmenistan confirmed its readiness to actively cooperate and support the activities of the organization.

During the conversation, R.Meredov presented the key initiatives of Turkmenistan put forward at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, highlighting the Global Security Strategy and its principles.

Considering the ways of trade and economic relations, the visit of the Austrian business delegation to Turkmenistan in December 2023 was discussed.

The discussion of regional security particularly focused on cooperation between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. In the framework of the exchange of views on the implementation of humanitarian and economic projects, the parties expressed a common interest in the stabilization and prosperity of a peaceful Afghanistan.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili and the Minister of Economy and Industry of the State of Israel, Nir Barkat signed a joint declaration on completion of the technical and economic feasibility study for a free trade agreement between Georgia and the State of Israel. 

Before the signing ceremony, the Minister had a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Industry of Israel. Within the framework of the meeting, the sides discussed current issues on the agenda of bilateral and multilateral cooperation and the great potential of cooperation in the economic area, including bilateral trade, investments and tourism.
Within the framework of the two-day visit, Ilia Darchiashvili will meet with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, and the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog.
Meetings with the chairman of the Knesset, ministers of economy, tourism and internal affairs are also planned. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will lay a wreath at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre on behalf of the Georgian people.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council took place on 24 April, with the situation in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova as priority topics.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the EU ministers via video conference, and briefed them about the latest developments on the ground and Ukraine’s military priorities and needs, especially in terms of ammunition and missiles. 

EU High Representative Josep Borrell highlighted that in total the EU and its member states have already facilitated the delivery to Ukraine of over €13 billion in military support. 

He also updated ministers on EU military support to Ukraine in the context of the three-track plan. On track one, the EU adopted an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility worth €1 billion to address Ukraine’s most immediate needs. EU member states are also finalising work on track two, to facilitate joint procurement. Lastly, the European Commission will soon present concrete proposals on how to ramp up the European defence production capacity under track three.

Ministers were also informed about the activities of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine), which has already exceeded its initial target by training over 16,000 Ukrainian soldiers. The EU aims to train a total of 30,000 soldiers by the end of 2023.

EU Foreign Ministers also held an informal exchange with the Georgian Foreign Minister, Ilia Darchiashvili, and confirmed that Georgia has made significant progress in many key reforms. They also highlighted that rule of law, human rights, media, civil society and independent state institutions are important elements for each country aspiring to join the EU.

Concerning Moldova, the Foreign Affairs Council established a new civilian EU CSDP partnership mission (EUPM Moldova), reached a broad agreement on a new framework for sanctions against those who destabilise the country, and on allocating further €40 million coming from the European Peace Facility to support Moldova’s defence capabilities.

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Press release

On 20 April 2023, within the framework of his working visit to the Republic of Italy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, attended the "Touch of Heaven" exhibition dedicated to the Georgian alphabet. The exhibition was held in the historical building of the Florence Palace, where the works of calligrapher and artist, Giorgi Sisauri were displayed.
Within the framework of the exhibition, 38 uppercase letters and 19 religious themes were presented.
The event was organized by the Embassy of Georgia to the Holy See, through the support of the Dante Alighieri Society.

Today, on April 14, 2023, a round table was held at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan on the topic “New formats of cooperation in the international information environment”.

The event was attended by representatives of international and national media, private media, relevant ministries and state agencies of Turkmenistan, press attaches of diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, experts and specialists in the field of information and communication policy, as well as teachers and students of the Faculty of International Journalism of the Institute of International Relations.

In frames of an extensive agenda, various aspects and directions of international information activities were discussed.

Opening the round table, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Myahri Byashimova noted the important role played by the outlet in the modern media space. In this context, she stressed that the current format of interaction is a platform for discussing the importance of the mass-media in establishing links in the international information field, aimed to bridge positions.

It was stated that the Government of Turkmenistan sets priority tasks for the domestic media sphere. Today, there is a need for more active promotion in the global digital space of up-to-date and reliable information about Turkmenistan, news reports on the transformations and achievements taking place in the country, studying the best world experience, the emergence of new formats and standards of broadcasting, print, and electronic press. Along with this, the expediency of further improvement and activation of the activities of private media in Turkmenistan was noted.

Particular attention was drawn to the initiatives of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov regarding regional cooperation in the media space, announced at the 4th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia.

In particular, was told about the illegal use of information technology, the implantation from the outside of ideas and attitudes that run counter to the historical traditions of the peoples of Central Asia, the basic values and centuries-old foundations of their life.

In this regard, a proposal of the head of the state to make joint efforts so that Central Asia remains a zone of stability and trust, not subject to risks for peace and development, was commented

In this context, the idea of holding a Central Asian media forum dedicated to security issues with the participation of state news agencies, print media, and electronic media has been put forward.

The head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, Ambassador John MacGregor, during his speech noted that media development issues are high on the agenda of the Organization. At the same time, this "round table" is a vivid example of constructive cooperation between the Government of Turkmenistan and the OSCE Center in Ashgabat in the field of media development. The initiative to hold the current forum in Ashgabat testifies to the growing role of Turkmenistan in promoting commitments within the OSCE and, thus, shows the desire to take an active position in the international media space.

The work of the “round table” continued in the framework of two sessions devoted to the issues of information sustainability in the 21st century and information policy in the context of the widespread development of social networks. During the sessions, with the active participation of OSCE international experts Marek Bekerman and Yakub Parusinski, an exchange of views took place on such topical issues of our time as the role of the state in creating a sustainable information space, aspects of media literacy in society, the development of information awareness among youth, issues of tackling misinformation and fake news, as well as the importance of education and continuous professional development of journalists in countering the above-mentioned challenges and problems in the media field.

Participants noted the important role of social networks and PR technologies in the modern digital information space, as well as issues of interaction between the state and media communities. In this context, aspects of the effective use of social networks as an important tool for communication and cultural exchange were discussed.

At the end of the sessions, interactive communication was held in the "question-answer" format, during which a thorough and constructive exchange of views took place on issues and topics on the agenda of the forum. Great interest was shown in the educational process and creative work of the future generation of journalists studying at the Institute of International Relations.

The participants of the "round table" noted the role and constructive activities of Turkmenistan in matters of close cooperation with all stakeholders in the region and beyond in the information and communication sphere.

The parties also viewed the exhibition of specialized foreign policy publications, deployed on the sidelines of the "round table".

Head of Turkmenistan's MFA Rashid Meredov and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed holding bilateral virtual consultations on the sidelines of the C5+1 ministerial meeting, the website of the U.S. Department of State reports.

"We have a very good and effective mechanism of bilateral consultations – ABC*," Meredov said, stressing that the Turkmen side is determined to hold political consultations with the United States in the near future to discuss important issues of bilateral cooperation and the regional agenda.

In turn, Anthony Blinken noted that the USA is proud of the more than 30-year partnership that has been built with Turkmenistan, adding that the United States welcomes the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Turkmenistan.

The interlocutors also touched upon the topic of cooperation in the economy and the fight against climate change.

The ABC (Annual Bilateral Consultations) format is a tool for annual virtual discussions and consultations between high-ranking officials of Turkmenistan and the United States.

On 15 February 2023, the First Deputy Minister, Lasha Darsalia met with the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Georgia, Anne Montavon.
Discussions focused on issues of cooperation between Georgia and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The first deputy minister thanked the head of the delegation of the ICRC for the humanitarian efforts made by the organization in Georgia, especially for the support of the population living in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions and people affected by the Russia-Georgia conflict.
At the meeting, attention was focused on the difficult situation in terms of humanitarian and human rights on the ground, and in this context, the role and importance of active involvement of international organizations was emphasized.
At the end of the meeting, the parties confirmed their readiness to continue close cooperation.