Today, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), UN Deputy Secretary General Armida Salsiya Alishahbana in the format of a video conference. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan reports this.

During the meeting, interaction within the framework of the United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), the possibility of expanding cooperation in the field of statistics and trade, in particular, by adopting experience in the field of cross-border paperless trade on the ESCAP platform, were considered.

A number of initiatives of the Turkmen side to expand partnership with ESCAP were voiced, aimed, in particular, at resolving social, economic and environmental issues in the countries of Central Asia and adjacent regions.

The parties focused especially on the Central Asia region. It was noted that Turkmenistan plays an important role in terms of deepening economic integration and strengthening humanitarian cooperation in the region. The state pays special attention to environmental issues and rational use of water resources. In particular, the Aral Sea issues were discussed.

The situation in the world caused by the pandemic was a separate topic of discussion. It was noted that Turkmenistan is ready to cooperate in overcoming the economic, social and financial consequences of the epidemic, calling for strengthening multilateral partnerships in this area. One of the clear and concrete examples of this is the international high-level seminar “Financing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals: the role of integrated national financing mechanisms” held in May last year, which was held on the initiative of Turkmenistan online.

The meeting also discussed joint actions taking into account the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Legal Migration (GDM). Concrete actions of our country in the field of migration carried out at the national level are presented.

The parties highly appreciated the current level of cooperation between Turkmenistan and ESCAP. It was noted that Turkmenistan is ready to continue cooperating with the UN and its regional commissions for sustainable development.