ISSUES OF COOPERATION BETWEEN TURKMENISTAN AND ESCAP DISCUSSED

Today, on April 26, the meeting of the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov with the UN Under-Secretary-General, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana took place via videoconference.

During the meeting, the Turkmen side expressed congratulations on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of ESCAP and noted that this historic year for the Commission also coincides with the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's membership in ESCAP. It was emphasized that the joint successes achieved over the past years testify to the high level of relations and partnership between Turkmenistan and this UN Commission.

The parties noted the fruitfulness of cooperation between Turkmenistan and ESCAP in a number of key areas, in particular in the areas of transport and energy, disaster risk reduction, as well as within the framework of SPECA.

The Turkmen side expressed gratitude for the active participation of the leadership of the Commission in the bilateral and multilateral forums held with the participation of Turkmenistan.

In this context, the timeliness of the signing in November last year of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Economic Cooperation Organization and ESCAP, which is another contribution to strengthening the legal framework between Turkmenistan and ESCAP, was noted.

The minister also noted that at the 78th session of ESCAP, which will be held in May 2022 in Bangkok in a hybrid format, Turkmenistan will be represented at a fairly high level.

At the meeting, the commitment of the Government of Turkmenistan to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was confirmed and a number of initiatives of the Turkmen side to expand partnership with ESCAP were announced.

The parties also touched upon the priority issues caused by the pandemic. It was noted that Turkmenistan is ready for cooperation in overcoming its economic, social and financial consequences.

The meeting also considered joint actions, taking into account the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

The Minister informed that the delegation of Turkmenistan will take an active part in the work of the Global Forum on Migration, which will be held from 17 to 20 May 2022 in New York.

The Turkmen side considers this event as another opportunity to consolidate efforts to resolve the global migration agenda, taking into account the changing realities, R. Meredov noted.