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.
