Visit of the delegation of the European Union led by Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas
On 17 January 2024, a delegation of the European Union led by Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas officially visited Turkmenistan as part of its wider tour to Central Asia, lasting from 15 to 17 January.
The visit comes ahead of the “Europe - Central Asia Investors Forum”, which aims at strengthening connectivity by developing transport routes within Central Asia and the European Union. It is also a testament to the growing partnership between the EU and the region.
During the visit, VP Margaritis Schinas met with President of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr Rashid Meredov.
At the meeting with the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, key issues such as cooperation in the EU-Central Asia format, engagement of the Central Asian countries in the EU Global Gateway initiative, as well as the participation of Turkmenistan in the upcoming Investors Forum were discussed.
When discussing EU-Turkmenistan partnership, VP M. Schinas welcomed Turkmenistan’s efforts in the process of accession to the World Trade Organization and its commitment to becoming a member of a multilateral trading system. He congratulated Turkmenistan for joining the Global Methane Pledge at the COP28 in Dubai. Additionally, VP M. Schinas underscored the EU's commitment to human rights as a fundamental principle and commended Turkmenistan's engagement in the Annual Human Rights Dialogue. Both sides underlined the need to observe international law and the UN Charter and the need to refrain from the use of force in bilateral and international relations.
Following the visit, at the press briefing, Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said: “I am proud to be the first Commissioner to visit Turkmenistan since the beginning of this European Commission five years ago. Turkmenistan is an important partner of the EU in Central Asia. My visit was the opportunity to discuss Global Gateway, the EU’s main investment strategy with partners worldwide. The Global Gateway is about investing in our mutual interests and is ideally suited to Central Asia given that it is already the world’s gateway between East-West. And it was the occasion to give a new impetus to EU-Turkmenistan relations across the board.”
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