During the top-level talks in Tashkent, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that secure of lasting peace, security and development in Central Asia ranked among the absolute priorities of cooperation between the two countries. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are fully aware of the responsibility they have in regional affairs, creating the atmosphere of good-neighborliness and mutual understanding, maintaining the stable balance of interests, preventing conflicts in the region.
To fulfill these tasks today, it is necessary to create adequate political mechanisms, new forms of multilateral communication built on the systematic and long-term basis. It could be achieved through regular meetings of the Central Asian states at the highest level. Turkmenistan had already emphasized this, and the meeting of the heads of the Central Asian states in Astana this March proved the justifiability of this idea, outlined the contours of its implementation. In this context, it seems reasonable to start the preparatory work, to discuss step-by-step joint actions in this direction, and to determine their algorithm.
According to the Turkmen leader, as a first step it is possible to form a five-sided expert group that would consider all the preliminary substantive and organizational aspects. The next stage could be a special meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central Asian states to work out the agenda and prepare recommendations on the organization of a meeting of the Presidents of the five countries. In case if they are approved, to start the preparations for the meeting in order to take the critical decision on the establishment of the new format of cooperation - the Consultative Board of the Heads of Central Asia States, as an advisory body that will host the agreed meetings in each capital of the countries in the region.
Given the importance of the processes taking place in Central Asia, their impact on the overall situation in the world, and the involvement of the world community into regional affairs, it seems advisable to invite major international organizations, in particular the UN, OSCE, CIS, and others as observers to these meetings. In this regard, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proposed to consider and analyze this initiative, noting that in case of principle approval, Turkmenistan is ready to discuss specific issues on its implementation.
To fulfill these tasks today, it is necessary to create adequate political mechanisms, new forms of multilateral communication built on the systematic and long-term basis. It could be achieved through regular meetings of the Central Asian states at the highest level. Turkmenistan had already emphasized this, and the meeting of the heads of the Central Asian states in Astana this March proved the justifiability of this idea, outlined the contours of its implementation. In this context, it seems reasonable to start the preparatory work, to discuss step-by-step joint actions in this direction, and to determine their algorithm.
According to the Turkmen leader, as a first step it is possible to form a five-sided expert group that would consider all the preliminary substantive and organizational aspects. The next stage could be a special meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central Asian states to work out the agenda and prepare recommendations on the organization of a meeting of the Presidents of the five countries. In case if they are approved, to start the preparations for the meeting in order to take the critical decision on the establishment of the new format of cooperation - the Consultative Board of the Heads of Central Asia States, as an advisory body that will host the agreed meetings in each capital of the countries in the region.
Given the importance of the processes taking place in Central Asia, their impact on the overall situation in the world, and the involvement of the world community into regional affairs, it seems advisable to invite major international organizations, in particular the UN, OSCE, CIS, and others as observers to these meetings. In this regard, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proposed to consider and analyze this initiative, noting that in case of principle approval, Turkmenistan is ready to discuss specific issues on its implementation.
