THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF TURKMENISTAN TOOK PART IN THE MEETING OF THE COM OF THE CIS

On December 10, 2020, a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States was held under the chairmanship of Uzbekistan in the format of a video conference.

The meeting was attended by the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the Chairman of the Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary S. Lebedev.

The meeting participants discussed the results of joint activities over the past period, and also outlined priority areas of cooperation for the next year. Special emphasis was placed on the issues of regional and international security, deepening cooperation in the field of healthcare, science and culture. The parties exchanged views on key aspects of cooperation on issues of mutual interest.

 During the meeting, the texts of two statements were agreed upon, namely, the Joint Statement of the Heads of the CIS Member States on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN and the Joint Statement of the Heads of the Member States on Cooperation in the Field of International Information Security.

The plan of multi-level inter-ministerial consultations within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States for 2021 was discussed. Speaking at the event, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov noted that during the meeting of the Council of the Heads of States of the Commonwealth on 11 October 2017, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov voiced the proposal on expanding the partnership between the external policy agencies.

 Turkmenistan stands for the multifaceted cooperation within the CIS and the need to improve interaction at all levels, taking into account modern challenges and realities.

The initiative of the President of Turkmenistan to intensify the partnership between the foreign affairs agencies within the CIS was underlined. A clear position of the Turkmen side in maintaining and safekeeping political and economic stability in the region, strengthening the bonds of friendship and good-neighborliness, protecting the environment, and developing partnerships in the field of healthcare, including through cooperation with the UN, was also stated. The key steps of the Government of Turkmenistan to maintain international information security were highlighted.

Following the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the ministers of the CIS member states agreed on a number of joint documents among which the draft Joint Statement of the Heads of the CIS member states on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN and the Joint Statement of the Heads of the Member States on Cooperation in the Field of International information security; Plan of multi-level inter-ministerial consultations within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States for 2021; as well as the Decision to declare 2022 the Year of Folk Art and Cultural Heritage in the Commonwealth of Independent States, 2023 - the Year of the Russian language as a language of interethnic communication.