Turkmenistan Delegation Participates in OSCE Ministerial Council in the Republic of Malta

On 5-6 December 2024, the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Myahri Bashimova took part in the 31st meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, held in Valletta, Republic of Malta.
This key event annually brings together representatives of the 57 OSCE member states, and this year it was attended by foreign ministers of more than 30 states. Plenary sessions and several side events were held over the course of two days.
One of the main topics of discussion was the current security challenges in Europe and Eurasia, as well as issues related to the functioning of the organization itself.
During the meeting, decisions were made on the appointment of leaders to key positions in the OSCE, the budget of the Organization for the next year was considered, including other issues related to the work of the OSCE.
Deputy Foreign Minister Myahri Bashimova spoke at the plenary session. She emphasized the importance of Turkmenistan's partnership with the OSCE in strengthening regional stability, promoting dialogue and sustainable development. Particular attention was paid to Turkmenistan's initiatives in the political, economic, environmental and humanitarian dimensions.
The head of the Turkmen delegation stated that in recent years, Turkmenistan has intensified cooperation with the OSCE in all three dimensions. In the context of the development of international transport infrastructure, Turkmenistan advocates closer cooperation and partnership with all OSCE countries.
In addition, cooperation on environmental issues was noted as one of the priorities. In this context, the need to combine efforts in this area at the global, regional and national levels, including coordination of actions of each state, was emphasized.
The Turkmen side expressed its readiness to continue cooperation with the OSCE, reaffirming its commitment to the principles of peace, trust and neutrality.
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On the sidelines of the 31st meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan M. Byashimova met with State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus Andreas Kakouris.
The parties discussed bilateral relations in the political and diplomatic sphere, including strengthening the dialogue between the foreign ministries. The fruitful nature of cooperation between the two countries within the UN was noted.
During the meeting, readiness was expressed to strengthen the legal framework for partnership between the two countries in the political, diplomatic, trade and economic spheres.
The parties agreed to work on drafts of relevant Memorandums of Understanding between the foreign ministries for holding political consultations in the future.
The parties also expressed their readiness to facilitate the establishment of a dialogue between the responsible departments of the two countries on the development of trade and industrial cooperation.

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In addition, on the sidelines of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan met with Michael Siebert, Managing Director of the European External Action Service for Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia and the OSCE.
The parties discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The importance of existing interaction mechanisms, including the Turkmenistan-EU Joint Committee, human rights dialogue and inter-parliamentary dialogue was emphasized.
Particular attention was paid to strengthening ties between the EU and Central Asia. In this context, the parties raised the issue of organizing the next meeting of heads of foreign policy departments in the EU-CA format in Turkmenistan next year.