THE PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN HEARD THE REPORT BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Yesterday, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held an expanded meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, at which Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov made a report on the results of the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for January–September of this year.

The Minister's report contains the following information

Visits and negotiations at the highest level are given special importance in the intensification of international cooperation. In this context, it was noted that the President of the Republic of India paid a state visit to our country in April.

During the designated period, the Head of Turkmenistan made official visits to the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran, a state visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan. In addition, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov paid working visits to the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Uzbekistan to participate in the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States and, as an honorary guest, in the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The Sixth Caspian Summit was held in Ashgabat on June 29 under the chairmanship of the President of Turkmenistan. Delegations headed by the Presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation arrived in our country to participate in it. A number of bilateral high-level meetings were also held within the framework of the Summit.

In July, the Prime Minister of Georgia paid an official visit to Turkmenistan.

The progressive dynamics is inherent in Turkmenistan's cooperation with reputable international organizations, primarily with the UN. As is known, on June 7 of this year, our country was unanimously elected Vice-Chairman of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

On August 15-16, the International Conference of Ministers of Transport of Landlocked Developing Countries was held in the Avaza National Tourist Zone.

During the reporting period, the President of Turkmenistan held telephone conversations with the leaders of a number of countries.

The first Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Central Asian States and the Russian Federation, held in Ashgabat on May 12, was also an important event.

During the period under review, 126 foreign delegations visited Turkmenistan. At the same time, 199 delegations of our country were sent abroad. 1 thousand 187 meetings of various levels were held online. 97 international documents were signed within 9 months.

Consistent steps are also being taken to increase foreign economic ties. In this context, it was noted that on February 23, 2022, at the regular meeting of the General Council of the World Trade Organization held in Geneva (Swiss Confederation), Turkmenistan was awarded the status of an acceding country ("active observer") to the WTO.

In addition, on March 15 of this year, Turkmenistan was elected a member of the UN Commission on International Trade Law for the period 2022-2028.

During the designated period, systematic work was also carried out within the framework of joint intergovernmental commissions and other specialized structures. A number of bilateral meetings and negotiations in this direction were organized in January–September.

Summarizing the report, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov confirmed the commitment of independent neutral Turkmenistan to the development of friendly, constructive relations with all interested foreign partners – both in bilateral and multilateral formats.

By implementing a peaceful, creative foreign policy strategy, our Motherland systematically strengthens fruitful cooperation with neighboring countries, as well as with states located in other regions of the planet. This is clearly evidenced by the results of our high-level foreign visits and visits of foreign leaders to our country this year, the head of Turkmenistan noted.

In continuation of the topic, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed the need to ensure the proper level of preparation for the upcoming visits and events of an international nature this year and in 2023, as well as for the celebration of the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan, and in conclusion gave specific instructions to the Deputy Prime Minister, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard.