Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiyev and Jonathan Henick, Deputy Assistant Secretary Central Asia Affairs, Public Diplomacy and Press at the United States Department of State, held online talks on Wedesday. The diplomats touched upon issues related to regional security and the situation in Afghanistan.
The officials emphasized the effectiveness of multilateral formats of interaction, such as Central Asia + U.S. and Turkmenistan-U.S.-Afghanistan, and also discussed the possibilities of strengthening mechanisms for responding to potential threats and challenges, including cross-border crime, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in its press release.
The meeting participants reiterated the joint commitment of the sides to further development of bilateral cooperation in political, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres.
The sides made a special emphasis on cooperation in the field of environmental protection and combating climate change. The Turkmen side expressed its intention to take part in the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), scheduled to take place in November 2021 in Glasgow.w
The diplomats also paid special attention to building up trade-economic and investment ties between Turkmenistan and the U.S. In this context, the parties noted the active role of the Turkmen-American Business Council. The Turkmen side expressed interest in attracting American investments and technologies in the development of science-intensive and innovative industries in Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan established diplomatic relations with the U.S. in 1992. Established in 2008, the Turkmenistan-U.S. Business Council, promoting commercial relations between the two countries, operates in the U.S. The members of the council include multinational corporations such as John Deere, Boeing, Oxbow, Caterpillar and General Electric.
