President Serdar Berdimuhamedov discussed issues of holding the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan at a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary-General Rabab Fatima on February 24, TDH reports.

The head of state emphasized the special attention paid in Turkmenistan to the development of the transport and communications sector. The favorable geographical location of our country serves as a reliable platform for expanding the transport and logistics network, and this fact, in turn, determines the measures taken to create important international multimodal transport corridors North-South and East-West for the region.

In the context of the consistently targeted activities, the role of four resolutions in the field of sustainable transport adopted by the UN General Assembly was emphasized.

– In 2022, the Avaza National Tourist Zone hosted an International Conference with the participation of transport ministers of landlocked developing countries, as well as international and regional structures. Within its framework, topical issues on the creation of sustainable transport and transit corridors were discussed, – the head of state said.

At the end of the meeting, Serdar Berdimuhamedov confirmed Turkmenistan's readiness to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation with the UN and its specialized structures. As noted, Turkmenistan, having the status of neutrality, consistently expands interaction with the states of the planet and authoritative international structures, as evidenced by multifaceted cooperation with the UN and its specialized agencies. In this regard, it was emphasized that building up a strategic partnership with the UN is one of the priorities of Turkmenistan's foreign policy.

On the same day, Rabab Fatima met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and discussed in detail the agenda of the conference, protocol and organizational issues, including the preparation of drafts of the Final and other documents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan reports.

The interlocutors expressed confidence that the upcoming conference will create an effective platform for specific actions in the field of sustainable development, environmental and food security, through improved transport and digital connectivity, unlocking the trade and economic potential of countries around the world, which is in line with the national and foreign policy priorities of Turkmenistan. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan noted that 32 landlocked developing countries with a population of over 500 million people have common challenges related to their geographical location, which affects their economic ties with the rest of the world.