Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe on Monday hosted the 17th meeting of the foreign ministers of the countries of Central Asia and the European Union (EU), the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan said in its press release.
The Turkmen side was represented by the Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev.
The ministerial meeting focused on continuation of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and the EU with focus on the consequences of COVID-19, regional and global processes.
The top diplomats discussed the current state of relations and prospects for strengthening cooperation between the regions in the political, trade-economic, water and energy, security, fight against terrorism and extremism, environment, climate change and exchanged views on international and regional issues.
During the discussion of security issues, the parties paid special attention to the situation in Afghanistan. The fruitful joint efforts of the parties in this direction, in particular the protection of the border between the countries of the region and Afghanistan through the implementation of the Border Management and Drug Action Programs in Central Asia (BOMCA/CADAP) were emphasized during the meeting.
The sides also had a constructive dialogue on the prospects for relations between the countries of Central Asia and the EU within the framework of cooperation mechanisms and other issues of mutual interest, the Tajik Foreign Ministry said in its statement.
In early November, Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek hosted the first in-person meeting of the EU-Central Asia Economic Forum. This high-level meeting is expected to be the first in a series of events taking place in Central Asian countries in the coming years, within the framework of the EU Strategy on Central Asia adopted in 2019.
(Photos: the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan)
