President of the European Council Charles Michel received the credentials of the Ambassador of Turkmenistan

On 24 April 2023, a ceremony of presenting credentials of Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to Belgium Sapar Palvanov to the President of the European Council Charles Michel as the head of the Representative Office of Turkmenistan to the European Union took place in Brussels.

A bilateral meeting was held within the framework of the ceremony, during which the European politician noted the importance of high-level contacts and suggested organizing a meeting with the President of Turkmenistan in Brussels this year to discuss prospects for enhancing cooperation.

Emphasizing the respect of the European Union for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Turkmenistan, Charles Michel expressed interest in further strengthening ties with the countries of the Central Asian region. In this context, the head of the European Council identified three main areas of the EU agenda for Central Asia: security, peace and socio-economic development.

Speaking about the latest trends in expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation with Turkmenistan, the President of the European Council welcomed the holding of another round of the Turkmenistan-European Union Human Rights Dialogue in Ashgabat in November 2022, as well as the recent visit to Turkmenistan of the EU Special Representatives for Human Rights and Central Asia, and their negotiations with relevant institutions of Turkmenistan.

The Turkmen diplomat, in turn, focused on the importance of neutrality in the country's foreign policy and spoke about Turkmenistan's reforms and progress in areas of interest to the EU. The focus was on economic issues such as trade, energy, transport projects, climate change and cooperation in the digital economy. Some of the potential examples of cooperation, particularly in the areas of environment protection and education, were also highlighted to enhance efforts to build on the mutual engagement. Likewise, the Ambassador shared Turkmenistan’s official stance on the key issues of the global and regional agendas.

In conclusion, the sides renewed their commitment to continuing cooperation and openness to constructive dialogue and interaction within Turkmenistan — European Union and Central Asia – European Union platforms.

Note: By the decree signed by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Sapar Palvanov was appointed as the new head of Turkmenistan's Representative Office to the European Union on February 18, 2023.