On June 2, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with the newly appointed Head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, Ambassador John MacGregor.
Expressing gratitude for the kind wishes on his appointment to the position of the Head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, Ambassador John MacGregor confirmed his readiness to fully support the advancement of cooperation of the OSCE with Turkmenistan in the framework of three key dimensions of OSCE’s work.
The parties viewed the implementation of ongoing projects, as well as discussed the prospective vectors of collaboration for the upcoming period. The importance of close cooperation on combatting contemporary threats and challenges on the regional and international level, including the coordination of activities on ecological, informational security and others was stressed.
The diplomats highly appraised the level of cooperation on humanitarian issues. The intensification of collaboration between Turkmenistan and the OSCE institutions, such as the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutes and Human Rights, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media was emphasized.
The issues of collaboration in the area of energy security were discussed, including the development of initiatives on sustainable energy within the OSCE. The matters of sustainable transport were also touched upon. An exchange of views took place regarding the feasible joint projects on the optimization of the functioning of the “East-West” route.
The parties agreed to maintain active dialogue with the aim of attaining common goals.
During the meeting, Ambassador John MacGregor presented his credentials to the Turkmen side.
