On May 28, 2020, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov held video conference negotiations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Haneef Atmar.
In development of the telephone conversation between President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, which took place the day before, on May 27, diplomats discussed the current state and future prospects of Turkmen-Afghan cooperation in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic and humanitarian spheres.
During the talks, the Ministers expressed interest in strengthening mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in the transit-transport and energy sectors, which meets the interests of the peoples of the two countries, as well as the entire region.
Exchanging views on regional and international issues, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries noted the need to develop a coordinated approach to solving the pressing problems of our time, especially the new type of coronavirus pandemic. In this context, the importance and timeliness of the initiative of the President of Turkmenistan on the full use of the mechanisms of scientific diplomacy in the fight against such urgent challenges as the spread of coronavirus on a planetary scale was emphasized.
Diplomats also emphasized the need for coordinated sanitary-quarantine measures on the border between the two states in order to ensure uninterrupted supply of cargo flows. In this context, the Turkmen side reaffirmed the readiness of Turkmenistan, as humanitarian aid, to build special terminal facilities – similar to those built in our country – for disinfecting rail transport at border railway stations, checkpoints and in some other places on the territory of Afghanistan and cargo, as well as provide these facilities with necessary equipment, voiced during a telephone conversation between the heads of state.