In Turkmenistan, at a government meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov presented a number of practical steps to expand political, economic, and humanitarian cooperation with the European Union for consideration by the head of state. In 2025, it is planned to hold the next meeting of the Interparliamentary Dialogue and the 20th meeting of the heads of foreign affairs agencies of Central Asian countries and the EU in Ashgabat. A visit to Turkmenistan by the European Commissioner for International Cooperation is also expected, Orient.tm reports.
Turkmenistan will take part in the meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, which will be held in April this year in Samarkand. Due to the relevance of gender policy, which is given special attention in Turkmenistan, it is proposed to organize a Forum of Women Leaders of Central Asia and the European Union in Ashgabat in the first ten days of April.
Proposals for expanding partnerships in areas such as education, ecology, development of a circular economy, etc. were also submitted to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for consideration. Based on the accumulated experience in implementing joint projects and programs in various fields at the bilateral and regional levels, Ashgabat intends to expand cooperation in the humanitarian sphere. In particular, it is planned to establish effective interaction in the scientific and educational sphere within the framework of the European Commission's Horizon Europe and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Programs, as well as through the development of academic ties with the European Research Council (ERC). Horizon Europe is the EU's flagship funding program in the field of research and innovation.
The program promotes cooperation and enhances the impact of research and innovation on the development, support, and implementation of EU policies in addressing global challenges. It supports the creation and dissemination of advanced knowledge and technologies. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Program, which is part of Horizon Europe, is the European Union's flagship program for funding doctoral education and postdoctoral training of researchers. The Ministry of Education and the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan were recommended to carry out relevant work on the wide use of cooperation opportunities in this area.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov approved the submitted proposals on expanding bilateral and multilateral dialogue between Turkmenistan and the EU, in particular, in the “Central Asia-European Union” format, instructing the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to continue work in this direction.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 20, 2025