Turkmenistan International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Project To Support Women and Youth Launched in Turkmenistan

A new project developed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in cooperation with the British Embassy has been launched in Turkmenistan to support the country's economic diversification and empowerment of women and youth. The project aims to stimulate sustainable economic growth and increase Turkmenistan's global competitiveness by developing a creative and innovative economy. Narine Sahakyan, UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan, emphasized the importance of unlocking the creative sector's potential to achieve economic prosperity. She said stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation will open new economic diversification and growth opportunities. British Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Stephen Conlon also spoke about the importance of the creative economy, noting the UK's experience in this area. Conlon stated that the creative sector contributes to economic growth, strengthens national identity, and supports local communities, especially in rural areas. Within the project framework, the UNDP plans to launch recommendations for the development of the creative economy and support for entrepreneurship and innovation. One of the key events will be a forum on the creative economy, which will bring together representatives of the government, international organizations, and businesses. The forum will be a platform within which to share experiences and discuss legislative measures to support the creative sector. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is actively cooperating with Turkmenistan on various projects aimed at sustainable development. One of the key projects deals with managing the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis. Together with the Government of Turkmenistan, the UNDP is implementing a project aimed at preserving ecosystems in the Aral Sea basin, improving the use of land and water resources, and increasing the sustainability of local communities. Another important project is Digital Transformation, which aims to help Turkmenistan implement advanced inter-agency data exchange systems to improve the efficiency of public services.

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Turkmenistan to take part in Turkic World Documentary Film Festival

Turkmenistan has been announced as a participant in the 9th Turkic World Documentary Film Festival, which will be held in Ankara in October this year. The festival received 300 applications from nine countries, including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Hungary, and Northern Macedonia. The festival is organized by the Federation of Journalists of the Turkic World with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, the International Turkic Culture Organization (TURKSOY), and other partners. Out of 300 submitted works, 147 films passed preliminary consideration by the jury. The festival’s grand opening is scheduled for October 11 at TURKSOY's headquarters. The competition will include works in the “feature-length documentary,” “short documentary,” and “student documentary” categories. A jury consisting of documentary filmmakers and scholars of the Turkic world will choose the winners. The festival will end on November 15 with a closing ceremony and announcement of the final results.

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Kazakhstan Hosts Summit of Central Asian Countries and Germany

Opening the summit in Astana, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed gratitude to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Central Asian leaders for their participation and support of regional cooperation. Noting the strengthened relationship following the high-level dialog launched in Berlin last September, he stated, “I believe this is evidence of interest and aspiration from the Central Asian states and Germany for comprehensive development of strategic partnerships. Our meeting is called to summarize joint work and outline new ways to deepen cooperation. Today, we will discuss important trade, investment, energy, ecology, transportation and logistics, education, and science issues. I am confident that our constructive discussions will lead to concrete solutions that will benefit all our countries.” According to the President of Kazakhstan, Germany's socio-economic, scientific, and technological progress is an example for many countries. The positive impact of German technologies and investments in various spheres of the economy cannot be overestimated. Hence, full-scale partnership with Germany, one of the world's most developed countries and the largest economy in the European Union, is a priority for Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states. The most promising areas of cooperation between Central Asian states and Germany include increasing trade turnover, cooperation in the energy sector, development of industrial cooperation, transportation and logistics interconnection, and development of scientific and educational ties. With reference to the above, Tokayev stated: “Wide investment prospects are opened by the development of the Middle Corridor, including the modernization and digitalization of the Caspian Sea ports and construction of cargo terminals. Further integration of Central Asian and European transportation and logistics systems remains urgent. Kazakhstan welcomes the decision of European partners to allocate 10 billion euros under the Global Gateway program for the development of the Middle Corridor. We count on Germany's assistance connecting this route with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the Global Gateway strategy." Citing the need for sustained focus on strengthening and ensuring international security and stability, Tokayev then emphasized: “Our countries closely cooperate in a multilateral format, including within the framework of the United Nations. We intend to continue to strongly support the efforts of this non-alternative universal Organization in the fight against terrorism, extremism, illegal migration, climate change, peacekeeping, and disarmament. Kazakhstan is ready to participate in the UN reform process. We believe that several developed countries, including Germany, certainly deserve a place as permanent members of the UN Security Council. I want to take this opportunity to wish the Kyrgyz Republic success in promoting its candidacy for the post of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2027-2028. I am confident that Kyrgyzstan will be able to significantly contribute to strengthening stability and security in Central Asia and beyond." Following speeches by Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a Joint Declaration was adopted by the Heads of the Central Asian states and the Federal Chancellor of Germany.

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Turkmenistan and EU Launch Ambitious Green Development Project for 2024-2028

The European Union and Turkmenistan have officially launched a new project entitled “EU for Turkmenistan's Green Development: Policy Dialogue and Climate Action 2024-2028.” The project, funded by the EU and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to support environmentally sustainable development in Turkmenistan using best practices and EU standards. The initiative will implement measures to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, including reducing methane and greenhouse gas emissions. The project was launched in May 2024 following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, the State Concern Turkmengaz, and the German organization GIZ. This coincided with the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the EU and Turkmenistan. The document emphasizes the importance of further cooperation in energy and climate policy. According to project manager Karolina Milov, the key focus will be creating an effective dialog between the EU and Turkmenistan's state structures to promote green energy. Strengthening the capacity of state institutions to develop climate change adaptation measures is also planned. The project includes two pilot areas that will demonstrate adaptation measures in renewable energy, methane emissions monitoring, and other environmental initiatives. These collaborative efforts are expected to mitigate the effects of climate change, both regionally and globally. Turkmenistan is actively developing green energy and technology initiatives. In recent years, the country has started launching several renewable energy projects. One of the key projects is constructing the country's first 10 MW hybrid wind-solar power plant in the Balkan province, creating a sustainable energy system for remote areas. Also, in 2022, an agreement was reached with Masdar from the UAE to build the country's first large-scale solar power plant with a capacity of 100 MW. In 2023, the government of Turkmenistan contracted a Turkish company to build a 1,574 MW power plant.

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Central Asian Countries Hold Second Inter-Parliamentary Forum, Adopt Khiva Declaration

The second inter-parliamentary forum of Central Asian countries was held in Khiva, Uzbekistan on 12 September. It was attended by political representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, members of youth parliaments, and local and international mass media. Topics addressed at the forum included new forms of interparliamentary cooperation between Central Asian countries, and recommendations for increasing the role of women and young people in the region's socio-economic development. The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Central Asia, Kaha Imnadze, commented: “This forum once again confirms Uzbekistan's important role in strengthening regional cooperation, as well as in ensuring peace and security.” Imnadze added that the UN is ready to strengthen cooperation with Central Asia in areas such as the use of transboundary waters, the melting of glaciers, gender equality, and youth activism. The forum's results resulted in the adoption of the Khiva Declaration, which will serve as the basis for the future cooperation of Central Asian countries within the framework of inter-parliamentary initiatives. The first inter-parliamentary forum of Central Asian countries was held last year in Turkestan, Kazakhstan. The event led to the adoption of the Turkestan Declaration.

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Swedish Company to Help Turkmenistan Establish Fast Payment System

The Swedish IT company "CMA," specializing in software solutions for financial markets, has signed an exclusive agreement with Turkmen company "Abraýly Işler", at the International Conference “HI-TECH Turkmenistan 2024.” Noting the value of cooperation in creating a national system of fast payments, CMA Regional Director Maxim Nescheret stated, “We have already implemented similar projects in more than 50 countries, and we hope to share our experience with Turkmenistan in creating this important system.” CMA, founded in 1983, currently provides over 37 central banks and many commercial banks worldwide with solutions for instant payment systems, central depositories, and automated clearing houses. Built on CMA's advanced technology platform for high performance, scalability, and security, the service is customized to meet each client's needs. In addition to the fast payment system, CMA is engaged in discussion with Turkmenistan's stock market regarding the possibility of creating basic services, including a central depository and settlement center, to help attract external investments and expand cooperation with foreign investors. Although Turkmenistan is actively modernizing its banking sector and digital payments, including the introduction of a contactless payment system and mobile applications to facilitate transactions, challenges remain. One of the main issues is the need for infrastructure to support fast and contactless payments. Although local banks such as Halkbank have introduced mobile apps and terminals for contactless transactions, their usage remains limited. Moreover, people often lose money due to bank failures and technical problems.