Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Helga Schmid during a meeting on Tuesday, March 5, discussed the state and prospects of partnership in the political and economic spheres, in the field of environmental security and humanitarian cooperation.

The fruitfulness of the visits of high-level OSCE delegations last year was noted, during which a new building of the OSCE Center was opened in Ashgabat and a meeting was held between the Secretary General and the heads of the Foreign Ministries of Central Asia. During Helga Schmid's current visit, a successful meeting was held with the ministers of environmental protection of the Central Asian states, which will serve as an effective platform for further coordination of efforts.

The Foreign Minister noted that visits by high-ranking OSCE delegations and joint regional events reflect modern models of cooperation and contribute to the creation of practical mechanisms to prevent and neutralize international conflicts, counter political and religious extremism, transnational threats, drug trafficking and cross-border crime, the press service of the diplomatic department reported.

It was stated that in recent years, Turkmenistan’s relations with such OSCE institutions as the Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and the Representative on Freedom of the Media have intensified. The dialogue is also developing through the Office of the Ombudsman.

Helga Schmid assessed the positive role of Turkmenistan's policy of neutrality in ensuring peace, security and sustainable development in the region and beyond, highlighting Turkmenistan's initiatives in the areas of energy and environmental security, sustainable transport and water diplomacy, which correlate with OSCE priorities.

At the meeting, attention was also paid to the implementation of joint programs and projects carried out with the OSCE Center in Ashgabat.