Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov summed up the results of the working visit of the Foreign Ministry delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan on April 15-16.
During the Government meeting, Rashid Meredov noted that the delegation of Turkmenistan took part in the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Strategic Dialogue "Central Asia – Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)". Along with this, consultations were held in Tashkent at the level of the foreign ministries of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
During the Central Asia–GCC) meeting, an exchange of views took place on important issues on the international and regional agenda, including those related to Afghanistan, and the positions of the parties in these areas were expressed. Joint actions to develop interregional cooperation in trade, economic and investment spheres, in such areas as climate change and environmental protection were also the subject of an interested discussion. At the same time, attention was paid to the topic of intensifying relations in the field of culture, education and science.
The progress in the implementation of the "Joint Action Plan for Strategic Communication and Cooperation for 2023-2027" was also analyzed. Following the results of the forum, a Joint Statement was adopted.
In the speech, the Turkmen side voiced positions and proposals to strengthen constructive diverse partnership, based on the initiatives of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, put forward at the GCC–Central Asia Summit held in Jeddah in July 2023.
Thus, in order to conduct inter–ministerial consultations on key issues of interest to the two regions, it is proposed to create a permanent mechanism - a Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Central Asian States and the GCC.
Taking into account the wide opportunities for cooperation in such sectors of the economy as the fuel and energy sector, the processing industry, the textile industry, construction, shipbuilding, the expediency of implementing the proposal of the head of state on the creation of a Business Council was noted.
The importance of Turkmenistan's proposal on transport connectivity, announced at the World Government Summit in Dubai in February this year, was also emphasized. In particular, it is proposed to combine efforts in order to implement the initiative to create an Alliance for Cooperation in the field of global energy security and sustainable development and a Global Atlas of Sustainable Transport Connectivity.
In the context of climate and environmental issues, the expediency of establishing effective cooperation between national Governments and specialized United Nations units in this area, and the creation of permanent institutions of international structures in our countries was noted. In this aspect, the relevance and validity of Turkmenistan's initiative to open a Regional center for technologies related to climate change in Central Asia was highlighted.
The Turkmen side also proposed to create a "Dialogue of Cultures" between Central Asia and the GCC, which will give an effective impetus to the expansion of fruitful cooperation in the humanitarian and cultural field.
In addition, it was proposed to form a strong legal framework for partnership between the Central Asian countries and the GCC member states. In this regard, the need to develop new documents for the implementation of the above-mentioned Joint Action Plan was noted.
During the visit, the delegation of Turkmenistan also met with the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. During the constructive exchange of views on priority issues of traditionally friendly, good-neighborly interstate relations, the importance of regular mutual visits at the highest level was emphasized. As reported, in order to widely celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet and thinker Makhtumkuli Fraga, on the basis of a special decree adopted by the head of Uzbekistan, a film will be shot in the neighboring country, a theatrical production will be performed, and a set of events dedicated to the significant date will be organized.
At the same time, Turkmen-Uzbek inter-ministerial consultations were held in Tashkent. An interested exchange of views took place on the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation, as well as on topical aspects of the regional and international agenda. It was noted that inter-parliamentary contacts make a great contribution to the development of interstate dialogue. In this regard, the expediency of organizing regular mutual visits in this direction and meetings of interparliamentary Friendship Groups was stated.
It was also emphasized that a solid experience of partnership through international organizations has been accumulated. An agreement has been reached to intensify this interaction. At the same time, the importance of multilateral cooperation was noted in order to ensure stability and security in the region. In particular, emphasis was placed on the importance of Consultative Meetings of the heads of Central Asian states and negotiations within the framework of the CA+ format.
The main topic of the consultations is cooperation in the economic sphere. During the meeting, the possibilities of increasing productive cooperation in various industries, as well as between representatives of the private sector of the two countries, were discussed. Special attention was paid to the implementation of previously reached agreements. In this context, the issue of holding a regular meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Uzbek Commission was considered. The expediency of organizing a regular meeting of the Turkmen-Uzbek Business Council was also noted.
At the same time, emphasis was placed on the intensification of work related to the construction of a shopping center and the commissioning of joint trading houses in border trade zones. There was also an exchange of views on cooperation in the field of water management.
It was noted that traditional interaction in the cultural and humanitarian sphere is an integral component of Turkmen-Uzbek relations. At the same time, the importance of events organized in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the brilliant master of words and outstanding thinker of the East Makhtumkuli Fraga was emphasized.
