TURKMENISTAN TOOK PART IN THE EU-CENTRAL ASIA HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL AND SECURITY DIALOGUE

On May 17, 2022, the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan V. Hajiyev took part in the regular meeting of the "European Union - Central Asia" High-Level Political and Security Dialogue, which was held in Brussels.

During the dialogue, the parties expressed their positions on topical issues of regional and global stability; in particular, they exchanged views on common security challenges, including the situation in Afghanistan.

Particular attention was paid to the preparations for the High-Level Conference of the countries of Central Asia and the EU on interconnectedness, scheduled to be held on July 26 this year in Samarkand.

As part of the discussion of persistent global threats that pose a menace to the sustainable development of the Central Asian region, the Turkmen side stressed that Turkmenistan, adhering to a firm position of neutrality, continues to fully use the potential of a neutral policy to support political and diplomatic efforts to resolve disputes and conflict situations in world politics.

The need for further development of the dialogue in the “Central Asia – European Union” format was noted and it was proposed to more actively involve the specialized agencies of the United Nations in the joint fight against global challenges, in particular terrorism, extremism, cross-border organized crime, drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking.

Concerning interregional cooperation on the issues of Afghanistan, the delegation of Turkmenistan emphasized that the work on the development of trade-economic ties, the promotion of key infrastructure mega projects in Afghanistan, the normal functioning of financial institutions should not be held hostage to slow actions on the political and diplomatic track.