On October 31, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov said the joint meeting is a unique opportunity to find solutions for security, stability and sustainability at the meeting of Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Helga Schmid and the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries, a correspondent reported from the event.
The meeting took place at the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The speeches of Rashid Meredov and Helga Schmid set the tone for the high-level forum.
Ashgabat offered a platform for discussion of such key issues as regional border security, cooperation in transport and communications and synergies in jointly addressing climate change. The second block of the forum focused on the unified OSCE budget and other important issues.
Minister Rashid Meredov from Turkmenistan, Minister Murat Nurtleu from Kazakhstan, Minister Sirojidin Mukhriddin from Tajikistan, Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov from Uzbekistan and Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to Turkmenistan Azizbek Madmarov presented the positions of their countries on the agenda of the meeting.
Addressing his counterparts, Meredov emphasised that this meeting is a unique opportunity to exchange best practices and discuss joint ways to ensure security, stability, prosperity and sustainability of the Central Asia region.
«I am confident that this event will also help us engage in constructive dialogue and find innovative solutions to modern challenges. Certainly, we are waiting for your ideas and contributions,» Meredov said.
Schmid said this is the first meeting between the OSCE Secretary General and the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries, and this format will therefore make it easier to address issues of mutual interest.
«In this context, Central Asia’s security is very important for us, in particular, the situation in Afghanistan. Together we can develop a special programme with specific projects. We need to work together when discussing border issues,» the OSCE Secretary General urged.
