"The sanitary and epidemiological situation in Turkmenistan is stable and under control," President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said today at an extraordinary summit of the Turkic Council. It was held on the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States Ilham Aliyev in the format of a videoconference and was dedicated to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the state news Agency of Turkmenistan reports.

The video conference brought together the heads of six States – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The event was also attended by the Prime Minister of Hungary, the Secretary-General of the Turkic Council and the Director-General of WHO.

Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan, as a responsible participant in the international community, has established active contacts with the United Nations, its specialized bodies and agencies, and, above all, with the World Health Organization since the first days of COVID-19. 

In Turkmenistan, a set of measures aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus was taken in a timely manner. In particular, border, migration and customs regimes have been strengthened, and restrictions on Turkmenistan's air traffic with foreign countries have been imposed objectively dictated by the situation.

Directly inside the country, the entire health care system was mobilized in a timely manner to counter the new threat. Everything necessary is being purchased for healthcare institutions, and today they are equipped with the most modern equipment, personal protective equipment, test systems, medical preparations and other necessary means, the head of Turkmenistan said.

There is a clear system of sanitary and phytosanitary control and veterinary supervision in the country. Teams consisting of specialists from the Ministry of health and medical industry, the Ministry of agriculture and environmental protection, and other relevant state agencies work at all checkpoints across the state border. Their main task is to carry out a set of measures to ensure a high level of sanitation and hygiene, disinfection, decontamination of territories and other areas. 

"Our main priority is to ensure the safety, life and health of people, and the state will make every effort to do this," Berdimuhamedov said.