On the meeting in Ashgabat with the Assistant UN High Commissioner for Refugees

On November 7, 2024, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with Assistant UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, who arrived in Ashgabat on a working visit.

At the meeting, the parties noted the effectiveness of Turkmenistan's long-term cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

It was noted that Turkmenistan, being a party to the main UN legal documents on refugees and stateless persons, has achieved unprecedented results in the field of eradicating statelessness.

The parties discussed key areas of joint activities, including within the framework of the Annual Work Plans of the Government of Turkmenistan and the UNHCR Regional Representation for Central Asia.

It was also emphasized that on October 14, 2024, at the Plenary meeting of the Executive Committee of the 75th session of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Program in Geneva, Turkmenistan's accession to the Global Alliance to End Statelessness was announced.

The parties noted with satisfaction the effectiveness of cooperation, noting that in recent years, Turkmenistan has granted citizenship to more than 32 thousand refugees and stateless persons.

In addition, the interlocutors discussed the possibilities of jointly promoting the process of revealing the human potential of refugees, in particular by encouraging the participation of refugee sports teams in various international competitions.

In this regard, Turkmenistan's initiative to invite a team of refugee athletes for the first time to participate in the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games was emphasized. It was noted that Turkmenistan is ready to provide the necessary conditions for refugee teams to conduct training and sports camps. This is also in line with the practical implementation of the provisions of the UN Games resolution initiated by Turkmenistan.

During the meeting, the parties once again emphasized the importance of coordinating efforts to resolve statelessness and refugee issues in the region and beyond, and noted the timeliness of the Regional Ministerial Conference on Statelessness scheduled to be held in Ashgabat tomorrow, November 8, 2024.