Today, the next meeting of the heads of the foreign policy departments of the European Union and the Central Asian states was held in the capital's «Yyldyz» Hotel.

The event was attended by the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas.

The issues of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and the EU were discussed, as well as preparations for the first summit in the format of the «European Union - Central Asia», which will be held in the near future in the city of Samarkand.

Holding the meeting in the current year, declared by the UN General Assembly on the initiative of Turkmenistan as the «International Year of Peace and Trust», is of particular importance. This is a clear evidence of our country's commitment to the principles of positive neutrality, peacefulness and good neighborliness and makes a great contribution to the development of equal cooperation that meets the goals of global well-being.

At the same time, it should be noted that Turkmenistan is promoting important initiatives in the area of international cooperation with all interested countries and is taking concrete steps to implement them.

As was emphasised, in recent years, multilateral cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union has been actively developing. Priority areas include climate change, transport corridors, energy, science and education, regional security, and rational use of water resources.

In this regard, the emphasis was placed on the fact that cooperation in the field of environmental protection, which is a key vector of national policy, is being successfully implemented under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and all the country's initiatives in this area are receiving broad support from the international community.

The importance of holding a high-level meeting in Ashgabat in October 2024 to launch the Coordination Platform of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor was also emphasised. The new platform is designed to attract investment in railway, road, and port infrastructure, expand economic cooperation between the countries of Europe and Central Asia, and increase the sustainability of transport corridors. Joint work within the framework of this platform will not only develop transport infrastructure, but also accelerate the pace of introduction of advanced technologies and innovations into the specialised system.

It was emphasised that a number of joint projects in various sectors at the bilateral and regional levels are being implemented through large-scale cooperation in the Central Asia-European Union format, and meetings and forums are being organised to discuss priority areas of partnership. In this regard, emphasis was placed on measures taken on the basis of the EU Global Gateway initiative to achieve digital, energy and environmental transformations.

The parties confirmed the importance of joint work to expand cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, as well as to intensify activities in the areas of «green development», environmental protection and climate change.

At the end of the event, the participants, noting the importance of the current meeting for strengthening cooperation between the Central Asian countries and the EU, expressed confidence in the further development of relations in this format.

Following the meeting, the Joint Communique of the 20th Ministerial Meeting «Central Asia-European Union» was adopted.

A parallel event entitled «International Year of Peace and Trust: Deepening Cooperation between Central Asia and the European Union» was also organised within the framework of the meeting in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution declaring 2025 «International Year of Peace and Trust».

In addition, bilateral meetings were held between the participants of the Ministerial Meeting «Central Asia-European Union».