On March 5, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Ms. Helga Schmid.

Expressing sincere gratitude to the head of state for the opportunity to meet personally, the head of the authoritative international organization noted the high interest of the OSCE in further strengthening long-term constructive cooperation with our country, covering a wide range of areas.

Warmly welcoming the guest, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized that, implementing a foreign policy based on the principles of positive neutrality, Turkmenistan attaches great importance to consolidating efforts in ensuring peace, security and sustainable development on the planet. In this regard, one of the priorities is to increase effective interaction with foreign partners, including such large international organizations as the OSCE, relations with which are progressive in nature.

Speaking about this, the head of state expressed confidence that the meeting of the OSCE Secretary General and the ministers of environmental protection of the Central Asian countries, which took place on March 4 in Ashgabat, at which current issues of cooperation in such an important area as ecology were discussed, will serve to intensify a fruitful dialogue in this area.

Continuing the conversation, it was emphasized that relevant comprehensive work is being carried out in the environmental field in Turkmenistan. As you know, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in Dubai (UAE) in December last year. At this large-scale forum, our state announced its accession to the Global Methane Commitment.

It was also noted that at the 78th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the President of Turkmenistan took the initiative to create a Regional Center for Technologies related to Climate Change in Central Asia in our country. All this is an eloquent confirmation of the commitment of the Turkmen state to multilateral partnership in the fields of ecology and environmental protection.

During the exchange of views on key issues of cooperation, it was noted that Turkmenistan stands for active interaction in order to maintain peace, security and sustainable development in the regional and global dimensions. In this regard, it was also emphasized that our neutral state is invariably committed to a close partnership with the OSCE in countering modern challenges and threats.

The energy sector was identified as another promising area. Noting that our country has rich energy potential, the head of Turkmenistan spoke about the advisability of carrying out specific work within the OSCE to bring energy resources to the world market and transit, including political, financial and environmental aspects.

The prospects for establishing cooperation in the transport sector were stated. At the same time, Turkmenistan’s readiness to expand partnership with the OSCE in specific areas was confirmed.

At the end of the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Helga Schmid expressed confidence that the traditional partnership between our country and the OSCE will continue to develop successfully in the interests of global peace and prosperity.