Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan took part in the OSCE Ministerial Council

On December 3, 2020, the 27th meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) began in the format of a videoconference, in the capital of the Republic of Albania, Tirana.

The Turkmen delegation was headed by the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov.

The agenda of the meeting is very busy. On the first day of the meeting, the addresses of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the President of the Organization’s Parliamentary Assembly were heard. The report of the OSCE Secretariat was also presented to the attention of the participants. This was followed by plenary sessions, during which the heads of delegations, heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the OSCE participating States and the partner countries for cooperation made statements.

The parties assessed the current level of cooperation in political, economic, environmental and humanitarian directions in the OSCE area. Special attention was paid to security issues, protection of human rights and freedoms, and the fight against the global pandemic. The need to strengthen the work of the OSCE through closer coordination and cooperation, improved strategic planning and openness to reform was emphasized.

Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s commitment to multifaceted cooperation with the OSCE. The participants were presented with specific proposals to improve cooperation on the OSCE platform, in particular, in the field of social, economic, environmental and energy security.

“Our country will continue to make every effort to establish the principles of international law, the ideals of humanism, justice, tolerance, mutual respect as factors that determine modern relations between states,” R. Meredov said.

Conceptual approaches of Turkmenistan to ensuring security and stability outlined at the OSCE Ministerial Council

Speaking at the 27th online-meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov reflected the vision of the leadership of Turkmenistan on the concept of security.

In particular, it was noted that the conceptual approaches of Turkmenistan to ensuring security and stability were repeatedly voiced in the speeches of President of Turkmenistan GurbangulyBerdimuhamedov on the platforms of the UN, OSCE and other authoritative international organizations. “They are based on the principle of integrity and indivisibility of security, which means for us the continuity and interdependence of such elements as political, economic, food, environmental and other types of security,” the Minister noted.

Speaking about the negative consequences of the global pandemic and the state of security in the world, the head of the foreign policy agency of Turkmenistan proposed to consider the possibilities of preparing the OSCE Common Security Strategy – a new international legal mechanism aimed at resolving a number of interrelated political, socio-economic and humanitarian tasks.

In this context, the importance of restoring trust in international politics was emphasized; the UN General Assembly resolution was highlighted according to which, at the initiative of Turkmenistan, 2021 was declared the International Year of Peace and Trust. The plans of Turkmenistan to organize the International Forum of Peace and Trust, “which will allow to outline the ways to the full and comprehensive establishment of a culture of peace and trust in international relations as the basis of a strong and stable security system,” noted R.Meredov.

During the speech, he also noted the uniqueness and effectiveness of the policy of permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan, which calls for an equal, respectful and mutually beneficial international partnership. The Turkmen delegation expressed Turkmenistan’s readiness to take an active part in the development of new concepts and strategies in the field of peacebuilding and peacekeeping, using its experience of positive neutrality.

Turkmenistan highlights the importance of energy and transport in integration processes

The OSCE Ministerial Council is an effective platform for discussing pressing issues and resolving common challenges facing the Organization. On the first day of the 27th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, held in Tirana via video conferencing, issues of a socio-economic nature were raised.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov drew the attention of the meeting participants to the regions of Central Asia and the Caspian Sea, which are playing an increasing role in international politics. The discussion, in particular, was about the energy resource potential and the development opportunities of transport and communication corridors of these regions, which open up great economic and political advantages for states of the whole OSCE region.

In this regard, the expediency of the proposal of the Turkmen side to establish specialized structures of the OSCE – the Council on Sustainable Energy and the Commission on Transport Policy was once again emphasized.

It was noted that energy is one of the key areas of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the OSCE. Turkmenistan stands for the introduction of mutually acceptable cooperation mechanisms designed to contribute to the formation of a single vector in the OSCE’s activities, based on a balance of interests and ensuring mutual rights and opportunities.

Turkmenistan proposes to widen cooperation in the area of nature protection and climate change on the OSCE platform

Speaking at the OSCE Ministerial Council held online, the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan R.Meredov underlined the importance of nature protection and climate change issues. As is known, the ecological safety is one of the priority spheres of cooperation between the countries within the OSCE.

The head of Turkmen delegation stated the importance of search for effective and modern resolutions of ecological problems. In this regard, the proposal was voiced on the preparation of the Comprehensive Ecological Programme of OSCE which will help to concretize the priorities of the Organization in the nature protection field.

“Such Programme could become a good basis for the development of projects in the area of protection and rational use of the interior, land and water resources in the OSCE member states,” said Minister Meredov.

Turkmenistan committed to humanitarian cooperation within the OSCE

At the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in the format of a videoconference, joint actions to uphold the values of democracy, the rule of law and individual freedom were discussed.

In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan made a special emphasis on the humanitarian dimension of activities within the OSCE, advocating the creation of a more democratic and peaceful Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region.

Stressing the importance of the conscientious fulfillment of the OSCE commitments, Minister Meredov highly appreciated the cooperation between Turkmenistan and the OSCE in the field of human rights and freedoms. Over the past years, a large number of joint projects and programs have been implemented.

Within the framework of the current OSCE Ministerial Council, the Turkmen side proposed to consider the possibility of developing a long-term OSCE Platform for Action in the humanitarian dimension.

At the meeting, it was noted that Turkmenistan intends to continue to make every effort to establish the principles of international law, the ideals of humanism, mutual respect as key factors determining modern relations between states.