POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN TURKMENISTAN AND THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

On the 18th of February, 2021, the political consultations between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan in the format of a videoconference were held. The Turkmen side was headed by the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.O.Meredov, while the Kazakh side was led by the M.B.Tileuberdi.

The agenda of the consultations was very rich. The parties expressed interest in the development of Turkmen-Kazakh relations. Stressing the key role of the visits on the highest level in the promotion of bilateral ties, the parties considered the opportunities of organizing such in the current year.

The positive experience of the collaboration of two countries in the framework of international and regional structures, in particular, the UN, CIS, ECO, and others was underlined. It was stated that Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan have similar approaches to international issues. In this regard, the mutual readiness to continue joint work in bilateral, as well as in the multilateral formats was noted, including such dialogs as CA+Japan, CA+EU, CA+USA, and others.

The Caspian issues were considered precisely. A constructive exchange of views took place regarding the expansion of the partnership, including that in the transport and transit sphere with the use of port infrastructure. In the current year, Turkmenistan is preparing to hold the Sixth Summit of the Heads of Caspian States. Thus, the parties expressed a number of proposals on the enrichment of the agenda of the Summit. Also, cooperation in the ecological field was discussed. The Aral issues were touched upon.

Also, the preparations for the next Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia to be held were discussed. The parties expressed interest in the development of joint initiatives for the better unfolding of the potential of Central Asia and nearby regions. In this regard, the parties noted the importance of expanding the partnership, including that on the Economic Cooperation Organization.

The diplomats considered the current conditions and prospects of cooperation in the trade-economic sphere where there is great potential for joint work. The importance of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Kazakh Commission on Economic, Scientific-Technical, and Cultural Cooperation was highlighted, on the platform on which concrete projects are implemented with the aim of widening bilateral relations.

The issues of deepening cooperation in the fuel and energy, transport and logistics, as well as the industry sectors were considered.

The necessity of further strengthening the legal-contractual basis of bilateral collaboration was emphasized, including the timely conducting of consular consultations.

In addition, the parties thoroughly considered the issues in the area of cultural and humanitarian cooperation. The commitment to the advancement of partnership in the field of science, education, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals was expressed.

Upon the outcomes of the consultations, the Ministers signed the Program of Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the period of 2021-2023.