During a cabinet of ministers meeting on Saturday (25 May), the Deputy Prime Minister, foreign minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov reported on the measures being implemented to further develop Turkmenistan’s relations with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
Countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia took a special place in the report.
China: Regarding the People’s Republic of China, Meredov said that the comprehensive strategic partnership with the People’s Republic of China is effectively developing in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
With the aim to realize the agreements reached during the 6th meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Chinese Cooperation Committee held in Ashgabat on 29 November 2023, an Action Plan for 2024-2025 was developed.
Touching upon relations in the humanitarian field, foreign minister informed that in accordance with the agreements reached during the state visit of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to China in January 2023, starting from July this year, it is planned to hold a set of events dedicated to the Year of Culture of Turkmenistan in China.
At the same time, work is underway to strengthen the legal framework of strategic interstate cooperation, in particular, a package of documents has been developed. To discuss issues in this area, it was proposed to organize bilateral interdepartmental consultations in the second half of the year.
Japan: Efforts are underway to arrange a meeting between the President of Turkmenistan and the Prime Minister of Japan during the upcoming Central Asia+Japan Summit in Astana. The sides also plan to sign agreements across various sectors.
Korea: Meredov noted that in recent years, bilateral relations with Korea have gained an effective character and a qualitatively new content.
Malaysia: Touching upon the topic of cooperation with Malaysia, which is among the country’s significant partners, the DPM announced a number of proposals aimed at strengthening interstate relations.
ASEAN: Turkmenistan proposes to hold a forum and a meeting in the format “Central Asia+ASEAN” in the second half of 2024.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov approved the proposals and noted that Turkmenistan is successfully developing a comprehensive partnership in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
The Head of Turkmenistan focused on the upcoming high-level talks, visits, meetings of various formats and instructed Meredov to ensure the proper organization of all planned events.