A video conference meeting in the EU-CA-Afghanistan format was held on Tuesday between the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries, Afghanistan and the Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid.
According to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry’s Tuesday press release, the meeting participants discussed the further development of regional cooperation and interaction of the Central Asian countries with the European Union in security field. The sides also considered the preparations for the next round of the Central Asia - European Union Ministerial Meeting and the First Forum on Green Economy in the EU-CA format.
The officials exchanged views on building up further multilateral cooperation in order to effectively implement the new EU Strategy for Central Asia.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiyev focused on the need to further strengthen and expand the mutually beneficial dialogue between the EU, the Central Asian countries and Afghanistan on all ranges of mutual interest of the parties.
The Turkmen side paid special attention to expanding regional cooperation in the field of sustainable development, security and economic growth.
In this context, the importance of increasing the effectiveness of multilateral dialogue and cooperation in order to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan was emphasized, Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in the statement. The official noted positive experience of Turkmenistan in promoting the socio-economic development of the neighboring country, and the initiative of the Turkmen Leader to provide political space for holding inter-Afghan negotiations,
Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the European External Action Service, emphasized that the European Union welcomes and supports the activities of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia, and also intends to contribute in every way to the work of the Center in the future.
The sides also considered the coordination of efforts to overcome the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, ensuring social protection of the population in the new realities, and introducing digital technologies in the process of transition to a green economy in the Central Asian region.
