During a recent visit to Ashgabat by the Sub-Regional Coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for Central Asia, Viorel Gutsu, new agreements were signed between the Government of Turkmenistan and FAO.

First of all, this is the Framework Program for Cooperation for 2021–2025, as well as the Agreement on the implementation of the regional project "Increasing the efficiency of raising small ruminants in order to reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions."

In addition, an Agreement was signed between FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey on the provision of services for the development of a national strategy of Turkmenistan to improve production and mechanization of cotton picking, according to the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.

The achieved positions allow Turkmenistan to expand the sphere of interaction with the UN agrarian structure, to gain access to the best technologies. Currently, with the participation of Turkmenistan, five regional projects are being implemented:

• “To strengthen locust control”;
• "Reduction of food losses and food waste in the countries of the Central Asia and Caucasus region";
• “Strengthening regional cooperation and national capacities in wheat rust control and breeding of resistant varieties in Central Asia and the Caucasus”;
• “Capacity building for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management in Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Turkey”;
• “Integrated natural resource management in drought-prone and saline agricultural landscapes of Central Asia and Turkey”.

We remind that Viorel Gutsu visited Ashgabat to participate in the International Conference "Politics of Peace and Trust - the Basis of International Security, Stability and Development." During his visit, he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov to discuss a wide range of issues, including a draft agreement on the opening of a representative office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Turkmenistan.

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• In Ashgabat, the issue of a project agreement on the opening of an FAO office was discussed
• Ashgabat hosted the International Forum of Peace and Trust