Turkmenistan intends to expand international cooperation in the field of sports. This was reported at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on Friday.
In this context, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredovpresented a number of proposals, in particular, to strengthen the traditional partnership with UNESCO and its Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Culture and Sports (CIGEPS). As you know, our country was a member of this Committee in the period 2017-2021 and actively participated in its activities. In this regard, it is proposed to submit the candidacy of Turkmenistan for election to CIGEPS for the period 2023-2027, as well as to consider the possibility of holding the International Conference of Ministers Responsible for Physical Culture and Sports (MINEPS) in our country in the coming years.
In building up fruitful cooperation in the field of sports, great importance is attached to interaction with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). In this context, a proposal was made for the participation of the delegation of Turkmenistan in the 41st General Assembly of the OCA, which will be held on October 2-5 this year in the city of Phnom Penh (Kingdom of Cambodia). It is also proposed to hold a regular meeting of the OCA Executive Committee in our country in the coming years.
Currently, new opportunities are being explored for developing partnerships with reputable international sports organizations, in particular, with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Appropriate steps are also being taken to include Turkmenistan in the International Federation of Sports Medicine. A fruitful nature is inherent in interaction in the field of physical culture and sports within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, in particular, with the profile Council of the CIS. In this regard, relevant proposals were made to promote this cooperation.
At the same time, it is proposed to consider the possibility of holding regional and world-class sports competitions in our country in the period 2023-2025.
After listening to the report, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized that, having identified the areas of education, sports and youth policy as one of the priority vectors of the state strategy, Turkmenistan also takes a proactive position in the development of fruitful cooperation in these areas in bilateral and multilateral formats.
To this end, our country maintains and systematically builds up partnerships with relevant UN agencies and other international organizations, comes up with specific proposals to intensify mutually beneficial contacts and enrich their content. And the modern sports infrastructure created in the country that meets world standards provides favourable opportunities for holding major international competitions.
Speaking of this, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov instructed the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to continue systematic work in this direction, which will serve to strengthen the status of an independent neutral Motherland as a centre of constructive international cooperation in this important area.
