DELEGATION OF TURKMENISTAN PARTICIPATED IN THE OSCE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL IN THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA

On 5-6 December 2024, a delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Myahri Bashimova took part in the 31st Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Valletta, Republic of Malta.

This key event annually gathers representatives of 57 OSCE Member States, and this year it was attended by foreign ministers from more than 30 countries. Plenary sessions and several side events were held over two days.

One of the main topics of discussion was the current security challenges in Europe and Eurasia, as well as issues related to the functioning of the Organization itself.

The decisions on the appointment of heads to key OSCE positions were adopted at the meeting, as well as the Organization’s budget for the coming year was reviewed, including other issues related to the work of the OSCE.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Myahri Bashimova gave a speech at the plenary session.  She emphasized the importance of Turkmenistan’s partnership with the OSCE in strengthening regional stability, promoting dialogue and sustainable development. Special attention was paid to Turkmenistan’s initiatives in the political, economic-environmental and humanitarian dimensions.

The head of the Turkmen delegation said that in recent years Turkmenistan has intensified cooperation with the OSCE in all three dimensions. In the context of the development of international transportation infrastructure, Turkmenistan advocates closer cooperation and partnership with all OSCE countries.

In addition, cooperation on environmental issues was emphasized as a priority. In this context, the need to combine efforts in this area at the global, regional and national levels, including coordination of the actions of each State, was emphasized.

The Turkmen side expressed its readiness to continue cooperation with the OSCE, reaffirming its commitment to the principles of peace, trust and neutrality.

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On the margins of the 31st meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan M. Byashimova met with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus Andreas Kakouris.

The sides discussed bilateral relations in the political and diplomatic sphere, including the strengthening of the dialog between the foreign ministries. The fruitful nature of cooperation between the two countries within the UN framework was noted.

During the meeting, the sides expressed readiness to strengthen the legal framework of partnership between the two countries in political-diplomatic and trade-economic spheres.

The parties agreed to work on drafts of relevant Memorandums of Understanding between the foreign ministries for political consultations in the future. 

The sides also expressed their readiness to promote the dialog between the relevant entities of two countries for the development of trade and industrial cooperation.

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In addition, on the margins of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan met with Michael Siebert, Managing Director of the European External Action Service for Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia and the OSCE.

The sides discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The importance of the existing mechanisms of interaction was emphasized, including the Turkmenistan-EU Joint Committee, human rights dialogue and inter-parliamentary dialogue.

Particular attention was paid to strengthening ties between the EU and Central Asia. In this context, the sides touched upon the organization of the next meeting of the EU-Central Asia foreign ministers in Turkmenistan next year.