On December 9, 2020, in the format of a video conference, a cooperation meeting “Central Asia + Islamic Republic of Afghanistan + People’s Republic of China” was held, during which Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan V. Khadzhiev took part from the Turkmen side.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Foreign Ministers of the countries of Central Asia, the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of cooperation between the countries in the political and diplomatic area, as well as in the area of trade and economic cooperation.
During the conversation, issues of cooperation in combating the pandemic were discussed. In this context, it was noted that in this difficult time, the countries show solidarity, mutual support and assistance in the common fight against this scourge.
The meeting participants sincerely congratulated the President of Turkmenistan and the Turkmen people on the 25th anniversary of the permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan.
In his speech, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan stressed that in the current situation, important tasks were the preservation and further development of trade-economic ties, finding new growth points for trade and economic cooperation in the post-pandemic period.
As V. Khadzhiyev noted, in close cooperation with partners, primarily with neighboring states, Turkmenistan is carrying out the necessary work to ensure that trade-economic relations are stable, so that reliable schemes of mutual supplies and transit traffic are maintained.
In addition, the sides discussed issues of cooperation in the transport and communications sphere, which is strategically important in multilateral cooperation. In this regard, the Turkmen side voiced proposals to intensify cooperation in this area, such as the creation of a single logistics center, technological development of points of departure and reception of goods, implementation of a single tariff policy for the movement of goods along existing corridors, and simplification of customs procedures.
The sides noted the similarity of positions on the promotion of international mechanisms aimed at maintaining peace, stability and security at the regional and global levels. In this context, one of the most serious requirements on a global scale is effective countering international terrorism. Within this topic, the emphasis was placed on resolving the situation in Afghanistan and the peacebuilding process in that country.
/// MFA Turkmenistan, 9 December 2020