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On January 17th, a delegation from the EU led by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas visited Turkmenistan as part of its wider tour of Central Asia, with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan being their previous stops. The visit comes ahead of the Europe-Central Asia Investors Forum, which aims at strengthening connectivity by developing transport routes within and between Central Asia and the European Union. It is also a testament to the growing partnership between the EU and the region, said the Delegation of the EU to Turkmenistan. In Ashgabat, Schinas met with the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov. At the meeting, key issues such as cooperation in the EU-Central Asia format, the engagement of Central Asian countries in the EU Global Gateway initiative, and the participation of Turkmenistan in the upcoming Investors Forum were discussed. Schinas welcomed Turkmenistan’s efforts in the process of its accession to the World Trade Organization and its commitment to becoming a member of a multilateral trading system, and congratulated Turkmenistan for joining the Global Methane Pledge at COP28 in Dubai. He also underscored the EU's commitment to human rights as a fundamental principle and commended Turkmenistan's engagement in the Annual Human Rights Dialogue. At a press briefing following the visit, Schinas said “I am proud to be the first Commissioner to visit Turkmenistan since the beginning of this European Commission five years ago. Turkmenistan is an important partner of the EU in Central Asia. My visit was an opportunity to discuss Global Gateway, the EU’s main investment strategy with partners worldwide. The Global Gateway is about investing in our mutual interests, and is ideally suited to Central Asia given that it is already the world’s gateway between East and West. It was also an occasion to give new impetus to EU-Turkmenistan relations across the board.”
In 2024, Turkmenistan will host a summit of heads of government and an international conference of Ministers of Culture in honor of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Magtymguly Pyragy, the great Turkmen poet and thinker. The initiative was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov, TDH reports. The summit is scheduled to be held in October, whilst the ministerial conference will take place in May. In addition, Turkmenistan plans to organize various events, such as scientific conferences, contests, literary evenings, film screenings and theatrical productions, as well as creative weeks in countries around the world. President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov instructed the head of the Foreign Ministry to ensure a highly organized roster of international events designed to increase the international renown of the poet.
On December 19th, 2023, the UN General Assembly adopted two resolutions initiated by Turkmenistan: “Strengthening connections between all modes of transport to achieve sustainable development goals,” and “The key role of reliable and stable energy connectivity in ensuring sustainable development." The resolution on transport was co-sponsored by 47 states, and the resolution on energy connectivity by 38 countries, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry stated. The document on cooperation in the transport sector proclaims 2026-2035 as the Decade of Sustainable Transport. The authors of the resolution invited the UN Secretary-General to continue international dialogue in this area and consider convening the Third UN Global Conference on Sustainable Transport. According to the document, the main events within the framework of the World Sustainable Transport Day in November 2024 will take place in Turkmenistan. The document on energy connectivity, meanwhile, provides for the consolidation of efforts by the international community to overcome the energy crisis facing the world, and calls for efforts to ensure the reliability and stability of cross-border supplies of energy resources. According to this document, it was proposed that the forum, “Sustainable Energy for All,” aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals to ensure access to reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, be held in Turkmenistan in 2026.
The fifteenth meeting in the format of the Turkmenistan-European Union Human Rights Dialogue will be held in Brussels on December 18th, followed by the 22nd meeting of the Turkmenistan-EU joint committee on the 19th, during which key aspects of bilateral relations, including trade and the economy will be discussed. The Turkmen delegation will also take part in the Transport Investment Forum, which is scheduled for January 29-30, 2024 in Brussels. The forum, organized by the European Commission, will bring together representatives of the public and private sector, and investors interested in improving sustainable transport links between the two regions. The event will be a follow-up to an earlier EC study on sustainable transport links between Europe and Central Asia, which was implemented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and published on June 30th 2023. As a continuation of this dialogue, it is planned that a meeting of experts in the field of transport from government agencies and private transport and logistics companies be organized in the second quarter of next year. The proposal to hold this symposium in Ashgabat was announced at the 19th meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Central Asian countries and the European Union in Luxembourg on October 23rd in a joint communique. Reporting on these activities in a government meeting on Friday, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan submitted for consideration to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov a proposal to organize a meeting with relevant EU structures in the first quarter of 2024 in order to discuss partnership opportunities and exchange experience in the field of energy. It is also planned to hold the next meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries and the European Union in Turkmenistan in 2024.
The acting head of the Ministry of Water and Energy of the Taliban, Abdul-Latif Mansur, recently held a meeting with Murad Artykov, the head of the Department of International Electric Power Projects in the Turkmen Ministry of Energy. This marked the second official dialogue between the two leaders. The TAP Project A significant part of their discussion revolved around the TAP project, also known as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Power Interconnection Project. This proposed initiative aims to connect the power grids of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, strengthening power trade between these countries. It is seen as a crucial step towards enhancing energy security, promoting regional cooperation, and supporting economic development within the region. The TAP project is a part of broader efforts to develop energy infrastructure and promote connectivity between Central Asia and South Asia. The Taliban representatives reportedly expressed readiness to launch the project and are now awaiting the participation of the remaining stakeholders. The 500 kV Power Transmission Line Another key point of discussion was the development of the 500 kV power transmission line "Turkmenistan - Shibargan - Dashti-Alvan - Argandi". This line is intended to facilitate the import of electricity from Turkmenistan to meet the growing energy demands in Afghanistan. The Taliban urged Ashgabat to intensify efforts towards this goal. The "Nur al-Jihad" Substation The meeting also covered the "Nur al-Jihad" substation, a project nearing completion that will provide electricity to the Afghan provinces of Herat and Farah. This substation is a collaboration between Afghanistan's power utility company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), and Turkmenistan. The project will increase the capacity of the Noor Al-Jihad substation from 110 kilovolts to 220 kilovolts. The substation is located in Herat province. Artykov outlined the goals of the visit, which included extending contracts for the supply of Turkmen energy and expanding energy cooperation. Implications Despite the Taliban being under UN sanctions for terrorist activities, discussions between Turkmenistan and the Taliban regarding energy and infrastructure projects have been ongoing, as reported by various sources including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Caspian News. Turkmenistan already exports electricity to areas in northern Afghanistan, some of which are under Taliban control. These talks also involved the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, which the Taliban has shown support for.
Turkmenistan is taking strides in reforming its education sector with a particular focus on training diplomatic personnel. In line with this objective, the President of Turkmenistan has signed a resolution for the establishment of a Specialized Training Center “Diplomatic Protocol” at the Institute of International Relations (IIR) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This initiative underscores the government's commitment to raising the standard of its diplomatic corps in accordance with international guidelines. The new training center will equip diplomats with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate complex diplomatic protocols and effectively represent Turkmenistan in the global arena. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Adalat, has been tasked to prepare and present proposals within a month. These proposals will outline the necessary changes and additions to the existing legislation of Turkmenistan that are required to implement the President's resolution. The establishment of the Specialized Training Center “Diplomatic Protocol” is expected to further enhance the professional capabilities of Turkmen diplomats, fostering stronger international relations and facilitating more effective communication with their counterparts around the world.
