Turkmen Foreign Minister Meets US Secretary of State in Washington

BUSINESS TURKMENISTAN
Turkmen Foreign Minister Meets US Secretary of State in Washington
Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, April 24, 2023, Washington, D.C. (Photo: Antony Blinken's Twitter account)

Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov met with Secretary of State Antony J.Blinken in Washington on Monday, the US Department of State announced.

The meeting took place in the framework of the Annual Bilateral Consultations between the two countries.

In his statement for media right before the meeting, Secretary Blinken addressed the media and noted that he had met with Rashid Meredov two months earlier at the C5+1 ministerial meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Secretary Blinken emphasized in his speech the US support for Turkmenistan's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. The Secretary highlighted the importance of decreasing methane emissions to tackle the climate crisis and discussed ways of collaborating with Turkmenistan to rapidly cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.

The Foreign Minister Meredov told the media that he along with officials from US State Department discussed bilateral cooperation in energy, economy and human rights.  

The diplomats exchanged views on the development of cultural and educational partnerships as well as improving the implementation of labor rights in Turkmenistan, the State Department said in its press release.

The bilateral talks also included topics of regional development, security cooperation and prospects of economic partnerships.

Established in 2009, Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABC) is a platform for annual discussions and consultations between high-ranking Turkmen and US officials.

On February 28, meeting with Secretary Blinken at C5+1 ministerial meeting in Astana, Rashid Meredov said that Turkmenistan is committed to holding bilateral consultations with United States.  

2022