The past month, in which the country celebrated its main holiday - Independence Day, was marked by traditionally high socio-political and business activity, especially in the field of international relations, as evidenced by the numerous and diverse events held as part of the “open door” policy.
Based on the traditions of humanism and good neighborliness of the Turkmen people, in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the friendly people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan affected by the floods, on September 5, a cargo arrived in Karachi in accordance with the Order of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, including medicines, medical products, textiles, and also food.
An important event of the first month of autumn - the international online conference “Independent Turkmenistan in the international information space”, was held on September 5 together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan by representatives of the State News Agency, the State Committee for Television, Radio and Cinematography, editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, discussing the progress of implementation of documents concluded with foreign colleagues, as well as plans for the future.
The specialized forum, timed to coincide with the 31st anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence, was aimed at widely popularizing its grandiose achievements and peacekeeping policy over the years of sovereign development, as well as at further fruitful interaction in the media with partners from various countries.
In their video presentations, foreign participants - heads and representatives of leading news agencies, popular electronic publications, television and radio companies, authoritative international organizations and structures - noted the active work of the Turkmen media, as a result of which large-scale transformations taking place in the country are covered in detail and objectively. This allows the world to rediscover Turkmenistan as a state with huge economic potential, rich culture and carefully preserved unique spiritual heritage.
As part of the event, an exhibition dedicated to the country's Independence Day was organized.
At the same day, during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Baghdad Amreev, issues of cooperation in various fields, including transport and energy, were discussed.
The interest of Turkmenistan in partnership with the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation was emphasized.
At the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Special Representative of the Government of the People's Republic of China for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, the high level of Turkmen-Chinese friendly relations was noted.
The development of bilateral relations in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian fields, as well as the positive experience of interaction within the framework of various international organizations was noted.
The need to further expand the dialogue in the field of energy, transport, logistics, culture and education was also noted.
On September 7, at a meeting at the Foreign Ministry with the leadership of the Masdar company (United Arab Emirates), issues of further strengthening bilateral partnership in the energy sector, in particular, in the field of rational use of renewable energy sources and ensuring energy security, were discussed.
In the city of Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), on September 7, the Turkmen delegation took part in the first ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue “Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf - Central Asia”. Issues of regional security and further steps to establish future effective cooperation in the fields of energy, transport corridors and logistics, trade, economy, investment, culture and science were discussed.
As a result of the meeting, a Joint Statement and a Joint Action Plan for 2023-2027 (Joint Cooperation Roadmap) were adopted.
Within the framework of the forum, a number of bilateral meetings were held with the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, and the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The importance of strengthening and developing cooperation within the framework of international organizations, primarily with the United Nations, as well as relationships in various areas, in particular, in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic, cultural and humanitarian fields, was emphasized.
On September 7-8, a working visit of the delegation of Turkmenistan to the Republic of Uzbekistan took place, within the framework of which a meeting was held with the heads of ministries and departments of the two countries.
The parties discussed issues of developing relations, including in the agricultural, construction, textile and pharmaceutical industries, and also expressed interest in the joint production of cars, agricultural machinery and household appliances, in expanding transport and logistics ties, including stimulating the transit of goods through the territory of both states, organization of pilot shipments along international transport corridors using the capabilities of seaports.
On September 8, within the framework of a working visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan met with the Executive Director of the Saudi Development Fund Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, at which the topics of mutually beneficial investment partnership in the field of energy, gas chemical industry, agriculture and water, economy and healthcare were discussed.
On September 8-9, the city of Tashkent of the Republic of Uzbekistan hosted the 14th Summit of Women Heads of Parliaments of the Member States of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the topic “Parliamentary Leadership: Anticipating Risks for More Effective Ensuring Sustainability and Prosperity”. It was attended by a delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Chairwoman of the Mejlis Milli Gengesh, heads of international organizations such as the UN, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, as well as more than 120 representatives of parliaments from 17 countries.
The forum discussed the priority tasks facing parliaments, in particular, the issues of guaranteeing gender equality in the processes of the crisis caused by the pandemic, ensuring sustainable development and well-being, and empowering women in economic recovery.
On September 12-13, the Turkmen delegation took part in the regular meeting of the Joint Working Group on the delimitation of the bottom of the Caspian Sea between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan, held in Baku.
At the meeting, the provisions of the draft Agreement on the delimitation of the bottom of the Caspian Sea between the two states were discussed.
In the period from 12 to 16 September, as part of a working visit to the United Arab Emirates, the delegation of Turkmenistan held a series of bilateral meetings with the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE, Chief Executive Officer and Manager of the Port of Abu Dhabi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, Chief Executive director of the Masdar company, as well as with the Minister of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE.
Negotiations were also held with the Deputy General Director of the UAE General Directorate of Civil Aviation, the heads of the UAE Railway Authority Etihad Rail, the Deputy General Director of the Economic Development and Tourism Directorate of the Government of Dubai, the managers of the Dubai Nasdaq company of the UAE, during which issues of strengthening bilateral and multilateral ties in trade, economic and transport areas, including the use of sea, rail and air transport, including port infrastructure.
In addition, interaction in the field of automated document management on the stock exchange, training of highly qualified specialists and the use of securities on the stock exchange was discussed.
On September 13, Ashgabat hosted the ninth meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Armenian Commission for Economic Cooperation, which was attended by the heads of a number of ministries and departments of our country and the delegation of a friendly state that arrived in Turkmenistan.
An exchange of views took place on the possibilities of further mutually beneficial partnership in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian, fuel and energy spheres, as well as in the field of agriculture, construction and architecture, and the media.
On September 14, during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Regional Director of the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) for Europe and Central Asia, Ms. Gwi-Yop Son, special emphasis was placed on the importance of combining efforts in the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and national sustainable development goals.
On September 15, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a delegation of the International Labor Organization (ILO), headed by a representative of the Department of International Labor Standards, Ms. Deepa Rishikesh.
Having stated the high level of cooperation with the ILO over the years, the parties touched upon the issue of Turkmenistan's accession to international conventions and multilateral agreements. In this context, gratitude was expressed to the International Labor Organization for the preparation of the document “Legislative reform in Turkmenistan: a review of legislation relating to the prevention and prohibition of forced labor”.
During the meeting with the State Minister of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on September 21 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the head of the Foreign Ministry of our country stressed the importance of developing bilateral and multilateral contacts in all areas, including in the energy sector. In this context, the issues of further implementation of strategically important projects, such as the transnational gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI), power transmission line and fiber-optic communication along the route Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) were considered.
On September 24, at a solemn ceremony held on behalf of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the conference hall of the State Migration Service, passports were handed over to persons admitted to the citizenship of Turkmenistan, as well as residence permits in our country were issued in accordance with the Decree and Resolution signed by the head of state.
At the meeting held on September 26 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Governor of St. Petersburg of the Russian Federation Alexander Beglov, the parties discussed issues of further development of Turkmen-Russian relations in all areas, in particular, in the areas of infrastructure and road construction, shipbuilding, urban planning, industry, energy, trade, education and culture.
On September 26, the Turkmen delegation took part in the opening ceremony of the Plenipotentiary Conference for 2022 of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Bucharest (Romania).
This specialized agency of the United Nations is the leading international organization for digitalization at the global level. The Plenipotentiary Conference is held every four years to elect leadership, adopt four-year strategic and financial plans, and discuss telecommunications and information and communications technology policies and priorities.
At the main meeting of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference organized on the same day under the OSCE Chairmanship of Poland, the delegation of Turkmenistan made a statement emphasizing that legislative, institutional and administrative measures are being taken in our country to further improve the mechanisms for ensuring human rights and freedoms.
In the period of September 25 - October 1, the Turkmen delegation headed by the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made a working trip to Japan, within which a number of bilateral meetings were held. In particular, the Hero-Arkadag met with the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, with the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Japan Hosoda Hiroyuki, with the Chairman of the Parliamentary League of Turkmen-Japanese Friendship, a member of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Japan, with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, with the head of the Japanese sector Turkmen-Japanese Committee for Economic Cooperation, with the heads of large Japanese companies, with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Çalik Holding group of companies and the Chairman of the Board of Rönesans Holding.
Issues of mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide range of areas were discussed, including in the political and diplomatic, trade and economic, energy sectors, in the field of transport and communications, construction, the chemical industry, as well as in the banking and financial industry.
During the meeting held on September 29 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union to Turkmenistan Diego Ruiz Alonso, the parties reviewed the current state and prospects for the development of a multifaceted partnership with the EU in various fields. In this context, an agreement was reached to hold a regular meeting of the Joint Committee “Turkmenistan-European Union” in Ashgabat by the end of this year.
On September 30, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Turkmenistan Konstantin Sabiashvili. Issues of strengthening interstate dialogue in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres were discussed.
The presented review of important international events held in September by ministries and departments illustrates the successes and achievements of independent neutral Turkmenistan, which, actively implementing the state foreign policy of openness, expands and strengthens the bridges of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with all interested partners.