Turkmenistan intensifies cooperation with the European Union
In the multi-vector foreign policy of Turkmenistan, multilateral interaction with the European Union is one of the key words. Since the first day of economic diplomatic relations in February 1993, positive experience has been accumulated in constructive cooperation in various fields - political and diplomatic, trade, cultural and humanitarian.
The most important milestones in the upward development of relations between the European Union and official Turkmenistan are associated with the first visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Brussels, where the headquarters of the European Union is located, as well as with visits of the European Commission and other high-ranking EU representatives to the country, with exchange of various representatives, and participation in joint projects.
So, in October 2018, the delegation of Turkmenistan held meetings in Brussels, including with Deputy Chairman of the European Commission for the Energy Union Maros Shefchovic and with the Director General for Energy of the European Commission
Various aspects of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU in the energy sector were discussed during these meetings, including the project for the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline and related economic, environmental and commercial issues.
Issues related to the opening of the European Union diplomatic mission in Ashgabat were discussed during the visit of the EU Special Representative for Central Peter Burian in January 2019.
Agreement establishing the European Community Delegation to Turkmenistan, which became the 142nd EU Delegation in the world, has strengthened its diplomatic presence in Central Asia.
The opening of the EU diplomatic mission in Turkmenistan was not only a qualitatively new step in the development of bilateral relations, it contributed to the successful implementation of the new EU Strategy for Central Asia.
This document provides for the intensification of political dialogue, strengthening the activities of the Central Asian countries in the field of sustainable development, countering the challenges of modern economic modernization.
Key areas of partnership include security, trade, energy, environment and digital communications, private sector support, and humanitarian contacts.
As part of the continuation of cooperation with the EU, a number of events were held online during 2020, including a regular meeting of the Joint Turkmenistan - European Union Committee.
At a recent meeting in the Foreign Ministries of the countries with the Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the European Union to Turkmenistan Diego Ruiz Alonso, the creation of a Roadmap for cooperation in such priority areas as energy, transport, trade and education was discussed by the end of this year.
During a constructive conversation, the parties noted the need to increase the pace of implementation of joint plans and projects in these sectors, and to hold a meeting of representatives of the relevant departments of Turkmenistan and structures of the European Commission to discuss promising projects and their further practical implementation.
A separate topic of discussion during the meeting was intensification of work on the comprehensive adaptation of the Plan of Turkmenistan to ensure readiness for counteraction and response of the country to acute infectious diseases, which specifies the main areas of joint activities to restore socio-economic indicators in the post-pandemic period.
As noted at the government meeting on October 2nd, today new prospects for building up productive interaction are opening up in connection with the large-scale transformation programs deployed in Turkmenistan aimed at diversification, industrialization and digitalization of the national economy, improving the social sphere.
There are also good opportunities for deepening traditional humanitarian and cultural ties, in particular, in the area of education and science, promoting active introduction of advanced technologies. Appropriate practical steps are outlined to realize the existing opportunities and potential of bilateral cooperation.
In order to build up fruitful ties with the EU and implement the agreements reached, proposals have been prepared on such priority vectors of interaction as energy, sustainable transport, trade and the economy.
Along with this, great importance is attached to cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, including the development of new projects in the field of education, as well as in the field of health, where an action plan for Turkmenistan has been prepared on the basis of a regional project of the EU and WHO on combating a particularly dangerous infectious disease, which is proposed to implementation.
It is planned to organize corresponding bilateral meetings in all the abovementioned areas. The possibilities of holding regular talks on security issues between the EU and the Central Asian states at the level of deputy heads of foreign affairs agencies have also been considered in October this year, and in November the parties had meetings within the framework of the inter-parliamentary dialogue "Turkmenistan - European Union".
Multilateral ties are also successfully developing with individual EU states, in particular with Italy. Thus, within the framework of the implementation of the Memorandum of mutual cooperation in the textile industry, signed by the Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan with the Italian company Cormatex Srl, it is planned to create a number of industries on the basis of the Bayramali textile complex and the Dashoguz cotton spinning factory.
To implement these plans, Turkmen specialists will modernize industry enterprises, and Cormatex Srl will provide equipment for new production facilities.
From the 2020-2021 academic year, one of the secondary schools in Ashgabat began to study Italian, which has become the tenth foreign language taught to schoolchildren in Turkmenistan. Relations between Turkmen universities and higher educational institutions of Italy in Milan and Perugia have been established.
Cooperation of Turkmen universities with Italian and other European partners is also carried out within the framework of such projects of the EU Erasmus + Program as Modernization of Higher Education in Central Asia through New Technologies (HiEdTec).
This activity aims to create a sustainable academic network for the exchange of experiences and best practices in the field of innovative educational technologies and didactic models, which is consistent with the concept of creating a digital educational space in Turkmenistan.
