The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held Turkmen-Uzbek political consultations in the videoconference format. Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov discussed the status of the interstate dialogue and put forward a number of proposals for its development.
In this context, it was especially emphasized that a friendly, open and constructive political dialogue that has developed at the highest state level stood as the main factor in strengthening the strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Regular mutual visits, meetings and contacts of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev serve as a solid foundation for building up bilateral cooperation in political-diplomatic, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian and other spheres. In this regard, the meeting participants expressed satisfaction with the high level of trust and mutual support of the two countries in the international arena.
In this aspect, it is important to note the mutually respectful attitude of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the initiatives and proposals put forward within the framework of the United Nations.
Underling the importance to continue effective cooperation on the multilateral platform, the participants in the meeting expressed confidence that in this jubilee year, when the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, and Turkmenistan celebrated the 25th anniversary of permanent neutrality, the both states would significantly expand cooperation within the UN.
During the consultations, special attention was paid to regional problems. In this regard, the Turkmen side reaffirmed its commitment to solving the problems of the Aral Sea and water and energy issues in Central Asia.
Particular attention was paid on the significance of mutual respect of the Central Asian countries to each other's positions and legitimate interests. That is vividly testified by the long-term constructive cooperation between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the water sector, ecology and environmental protection.
Emphasizing the importance of the initiative put forward by Turkmenistan on the preparation of the UN Special Programme for the countries of the Aral Sea basin and the initiative put forward by Uzbekistan on the creation of the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea region, the meeting participants provided information on the work on their practical implementation.
Particular attention was paid to cooperation on providing assistance to neighboring Afghanistan. It is generally recognized that Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are actively involved in international efforts to establish peace and civil consent in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Along with political and diplomatic issues, the possibilities of expanding bilateral economic partnership were considered, the main aspect of which is joint activities in the gas, electricity, transport and communication industries, trade, agro-industrial and other spheres.
As noted, today the trade turnover between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan has dynamically developed. According to the results of 2019, the trade turnover between the two states increased by 80 %.
In order to activate trade and economic ties, the parties underlined the importance of holding a regular meeting of the joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation this autumn.
Humanitarian contacts stand as an important component of the interstate dialogue. The fraternal peoples of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan develop this direction through regular meetings of creative and scientific figures, the days of culture, exhibitions, concerts, festivals. In this context, the importance of further development of the dialogue in this area was emphasized.
At the end of the meeting, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two states expressed the mutual willingness to regularly hold bilateral political consultations.