Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan discuss the implementation of Lapis Lazuli project

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarovand and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Haneef Atmar held a trilateral online meeting.

During the negotiations, the parties underlined the high level of the established political and diplomatic dialogue. The parties exchanged views and proposals on the implementation of the agreements reached during the trilateral video meeting between the Presidents of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan on July 2. As is known, one of the main topics of discussion of the leaders of the three countries was cooperation in implementing a large-scale joint project - a multimodal corridor along the route Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (Lapis Lazuli).

Underlining the advantages of the location of the three countries at the crossroads of continental routes, Deputy Prime Minister R. Meredov emphasized the importance of cooperation to strengthen transport and communications infrastructure and realize transit potential in the interests of interregional integration. The significance of strengthening the legal framework for cooperation was also emphasized.

As is known, during an online meeting with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Afghanistan, the President of Turkmenistan put forward important initiatives on establishing a long-term partnership in the field of transport. In this aspect, it was emphasized that the creation of a logistics hub, the introduction of advanced technologies in the freight system, simplification of customs and tariff regulation and the use of trilateral negotiation mechanisms would strengthen trade and economic cooperation between the states of Central and South Asia, as well as Europe.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the three countries agreed to continue cooperation in this direction through video consultations between representatives of relevant departments.

Moreover, during the meeting, crucial issues of the regional and international agenda were considered, including the consolidated struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic.