Ambassador of Turkmenistan Sapar Palvanov, along with colleagues from Central Asian countries and Mongolia, took part in a meeting with the Secretary General of the Benelux Union Frans Wickers and his deputies, the embassy press service reported to Turkmenportal.
During the meeting, the Benelux leadership presented in detail the activities of the Union, talked about the history of its creation, institutional mechanisms and practical advantages of close regional coordination. It was emphasized that Benelux is one of the most successful examples of a regional integration association in Europe.
Representatives of the Benelux Union expressed deep interest in developing dialogue with the countries of Central Asia, as well as readiness to share their experience of effective interstate cooperation and established institutional coordination. It was noted that against the background of the current dynamics of strengthening relations between the European Union and Central Asia, such cooperation opens up mutually beneficial prospects for both parties.
During the meeting, the Turkmen ambassador also discussed with the leadership of the Benelux Union the possibility of simplifying visa procedures, in particular, the abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports between the Benelux countries and Turkmenistan. The ambassador noted that the Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan, are now actively turning into a platform for holding high-level international events with the participation of representatives of European states and international organizations. At the same time, Turkmenistan is taking an increasingly active part in events held in European countries, including the Benelux states, sending official delegations.
In the first six months of this year alone, Turkmenistan held 1945 meetings with foreign partners, the country hosted 353 foreign delegations, and 763 Turkmen delegations were sent abroad to participate in international events. These figures are a clear indicator of high international activity and aspiration for open dialogue. In this regard, the development of mechanisms facilitating freedom of official movement would be an important contribution to strengthening dialogue and expanding practical cooperation.
As a successful example of such cooperation, the agreement between Turkmenistan and Switzerland was cited, which provides for a simplified travel procedure for holders of diplomatic and service passports.
