On January 8-10, 2023, the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Milli Gengesh Gulshat Mammedova participated in the 13th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Antalya, Türkiye.
Delegations from 27 countries participated in the session, held on the theme "Promoting multilateralism in a changing international dynamic."
At the opening ceremony the speeches by the Secretary General of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly Mohammad Reza Majidi, the current Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and the APA, Mustafa Shentop, as well as the chairmen of the parliaments of the participating countries, were heard.
Delivering the speech, the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Milli Gengesh noted that Turkmenistan attaches particular importance to cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, ecology and cultural and humanitarian diplomacy in the international space.
The readiness of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan for bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of ensuring peace and security through parliamentary diplomacy was expressed. In this context, the initiatives and proposals of the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to improve the work of parliamentary friendship groups, encourage cooperation between young parliamentarians, increase the activity of women deputies, and increase parliamentary support for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, were noted.
Within the framework of the held forum, meetings of the Political Committee, the Executive Committee and the standing committees of the APA were held, at which the parliamentarians exchanged views on the issues on the agenda of the committees, made proposals to increase the efficiency of the structures, and considered draft decisions.
Following the meeting of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, a declaration was adopted.
On the sidelines of the plenary session, the Chairwoman of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan met with the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament.
During the meeting was emphasized the importance of a constructive exchange of views at the 13th plenary session, as well as the significance of such events in terms of wider use of the possibilities of parliamentary diplomacy.
The role of inter-parliamentary dialogue in strengthening multifaceted cooperation between our friendly countries was also noted. Noting that Türkiye and Turkmenistan are two fraternal countries with a common history, language, religion and culture, M.Shentop stressed that the progressive development of relations between our countries has recently been observed. In this regard, he advocated the further expansion of inter-parliamentary relations, both on a bilateral basis and on multilateral platforms, including the Asian Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States.
