Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet in Moscow on Tuesday with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, who will arrive in Russia to participate in a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. The main topic of the talks is expected to be the situation in Afghanistan and the general situation in the Central Asian region.
The sides will discuss in detail the issues of bilateral relations with the emphasis on trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian and educational spheres and consider a number of regional and international problems. In addition, the ministers will focus on the interaction of Moscow and Ashgabat at various multilateral platforms, especially in the CIS, the Caspian Five, the Russia-Central Asia format and the UN.
The Russian foreign ministry pointed to the strategic nature of the Russian-Turkmen cooperation that "is steadily developing in difficult external conditions". The Ukrainian crisis remains one of the most significant factors significantly complicating the situation in the world lately. In this regard, Lavrov will surely take the opportunity to inform his counterpart about the progress of the special operation in Ukraine and the geopolitical friction that is taking place around that country.
Security for all
Despite Turkmenistan's neutral status, the topic of security is always high on the agenda of bilateral talks. This is mainly related to the threat of international terrorism, which comes from Afghanistan, the country's neighbor. The socio-economic situation there continues to deteriorate, and the intensity of terrorist attacks on Afghan territory is only increasing. For example, just four days ago there was an attack on the head of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul. Along with this, Moscow repeatedly pointed to the risk of militants from Afghanistan entering the CIS space.
Representatives of Russia and Turkmenistan discussed this problem in detail at the meeting within the framework of the Moscow format held in Moscow on November 16. The participants in the consultations called for formation of an inclusive government in Kabul, as well as for stepping up efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. Ashgabat is already accustomed to pointing to the need to normalize the economic situation in Afghanistan, including through the implementation of joint international projects with the participation of this state. Among other things, Lavrov and Meredov will have to compare their positions in this direction.
The sides also traditionally discuss security in the Caspian Sea. The head of the Russian diplomatic mission emphasized that intervention of the extra-regional forces in Caspian affairs should not be allowed, and all issues here should be solved only by the five littoral states. In conditions of general instability in the world these statements acquire quite a characteristic sounding. The same principles were reflected in the communiqué of the Sixth Caspian Summit held in Turkmenistan on June 29.
Active cooperation course
On the eve of Meredov's visit, the Russian foreign ministry reminded that Russia is one of the most important trade partners of Turkmenistan. In the first eight months of this year, the trade turnover has reached $474.8 million. The two countries closely cooperate in the energy and other spheres. The intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation plays an important role in deepening bilateral economic relations. In general, Moscow and Ashgabat maintain an ongoing political dialogue at all levels.
"Significant reserves of the Russian-Turkmen economic cooperation lie in the interregional ties. Tatarstan, Astrakhan and Chelyabinsk regions and St. Petersburg show the greatest activity in the Turkmen direction", the Russian foreign ministry pointed out. Russia and Turkmenistan also cooperate intensively in fighting dangerous infectious diseases, and demonstrated this during the pandemic
Humanitarian ties and contacts in the cultural, educational and scientific spheres remain an important part of the Russia-Turkmenistan relations, the foreign ministry noted. More than 30 thousand students from Turkmenistan study in Russian universities, and the sides are currently working on the issue of opening a Russian-Turkmen university in Ashgabat. "In 2023 a number of previously postponed events in the field of culture, including cross-cultural days, a week of Russian movies in Turkmenistan, exchange tours of the leading theaters," concluded the diplomatic mission.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on matertials TASS