Turkmenistan has stressed cooperation with the European Union in the fields of security, sustainable development and humanitarian aid. Those efforts intensified in December 2021 when Ashgabat hosted an international conference “Politics of Peace and Trust — the Basis of International Security, Stability and Development.”
Turkmen Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov used the occasion to hold diplomatic contacts with the EU special representative for Central Asia, Ambassador Terhi Hakala.
In addition to ongoing projects focused on regional development, Turkmen and EU representatives discussed efforts to fight cybercrime and improve biological security after the recent COVID-19 crisis.
A second meeting, with Diego Ruiz Alonso, ambassador of the EU to Turkmenistan, focused on environmental concerns and improving the country’s business climate. Ambassador Alonso stressed that Turkmenistan and the EU have built strong bonds since establishing diplomatic relations in 1998.
The culmination of these relations was in 2019, when the EU approved the Agreement on the Establishment of the Delegation of the European Union in Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan participates in over 20 projects funded by the EU in fields such as security, trade, energy, rule of law, education, women’s rights and investment in young people.
Sources: Turkmenportal, Caspian News, United Nations