THE MAIN ASPECTS OF INTERACTION BETWEEN TURKMENISTAN AND THE UNECE WERE DISCUSSED

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, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( UNECE) Olga Algaerova.

The distinguished guest expressed her gratitude for the invitation to the events and the hospitality provided within the framework of the Ashgabat International Week dedicated to the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan.

During the meeting, it was emphasized that Turkmenistan remains committed to the development of cooperation with the UNECE in such issues as strengthening the transport and transit potential of the region, building up trade and economic ties and integration, maintaining environmental safety and energy efficiency.

The parties noted with satisfaction the fruitfulness of the long-term cooperation of Turkmenistan with the UNECE in a wide range of areas. The important role of the UNECE in coordinating relations between the countries of Europe and Asia in the field of transport, trade, energy and environmental protection was noted.

Discussing the topic of environmental protection, it was stated that Turkmenistan is an active participant in the global campaign initiated by the UNECE "Trees in Cities" to support actions related to climate change in cities.

Special attention was paid to the issues of cooperation within the framework of the United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA). In particular, the Turkmen side expressed its firm commitment to further development of cooperation with the SPECA countries. The prospects for cooperation were also outlined, taking into account the proposals of UNECE and ESCAP experts. In this context, issues of improving the structure and reforming the activities of this Program were discussed, including the establishment of the SPECA Trust Fund and its Secretariat.

An exchange of views was held on interaction with the UNECE in the format of the Framework Program for Cooperation on Sustainable Development between the Government of Turkmenistan and the UN for the period 2021-2025.

In this regard, the Executive Secretary of the UNECE highly appreciated the work of the Government of Turkmenistan to implement the concept of sustainable development, the effective measures of the state to implement the UN sustainable development goals and their indicators in national programs.

In the process of discussing the planned significant meetings and events under the auspices of the UNECE, concrete steps of interaction for the coming year were outlined.