A regular meeting of the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of Central Asia and the European Union in the «EU – Central Asia» format opened on November 22 in Dushanbe, the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan reports.  The meeting was attended by a delegation of our country led by Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Khadzhiev.

 The participants of the meeting discussed the state and prospects of relations between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia, the progress of the implementation of the European Union Strategy for Central Asia, adopted on June 17, 2019, exchanged views on interaction and increasing the effectiveness of interregional cooperation.

 Emphasizing the particular importance and timeliness of the current dialogue, as well as the launch of the mechanism of Economic Forums in the «CA-EU» format, the Turkmen side made a number of proposals to expand partnership between all participants in the «EU-Central Asia» format.

 Focusing on the priority issues of ensuring peace and security in the region, the head of the Turkmen delegation noted the expediency of consolidating joint efforts within the framework of the European Union's BOMCA / CADAP program in Central Asia in close cooperation with the UN and its specialized structures.  The priority areas of interaction were the fight against cybercrime, measures to strengthen information and biological security.

 Discussing the issues of establishing stable development in Afghanistan, it was emphasized that Turkmenistan in its approach is based on the unity of political, economic and humanitarian aspects of providing assistance and support to Afghanistan.

 Speaking about the goals and priorities outlined at the EU-Central Asia Economic Forum held on November 5 this year in Bishkek, the head of the Turkmen delegation said that today is the time to outline further steps for their implementation.  In this regard, it was proposed to develop and agree on a sequence of joint actions in the economic segment of interaction.

 The Turkmen side singled out energy, industry, trade, transport and communications as the main aspects of the next EU-Central Asia Economic Forum.  A proposal was also made to hold the next Economic Forum in Turkmenistan.

 Emphasizing the need for further close cooperation in the field of transport, transit and logistics, V. Khadzhiev noted the timeliness of convening in 2022 the International Conference of Transport Ministers of Landlocked Developing Countries, which will be held in Turkmenistan jointly with the UN on the basis of the UN General Assembly resolution.

 The head of the Turkmen delegation also invited the meeting participants to take part in the International Forum of Peace and Trust, which will be held on December 12, 2021 in Ashgabat.