Today, on May 2, 2023, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan M.Byashimova met with the Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Dmitry Maryasin, who arrived in Ashgabat to participate on May 3-4 this year in the work of the international conference and exhibition "International transport and transit corridors: interconnectedness and development-2023”.
During the talks, the parties discussed the current state and prospects for further development of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UNECE. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan stressed that this year our country celebrates the 30th anniversary of joining this Commission and, in this regard, a number of joint events are planned to further intensify activities in this direction.
During the meeting, diplomats noted as an important event the participation of the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the work of the Ministerial Meeting of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), the 70th session of the UNECE, which were held in Geneva in April this year, and as well as a number of bilateral negotiations held during the visit. In this context, the important results of the talks were emphasized, within the framework of which a wide range of issues on the development of interaction in such topical areas of cooperation as transport, energy, statistics, "green" economy and environmental protection were discussed.
Noting that Turkmenistan considers cooperation with the UNECE an important area in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals both at the national and broader levels, the interlocutors expressed a common opinion on the key role of the Turkmen state in promoting transport diplomacy at the UN platform. Our country supports and develops the idea of multimodal transportation and intermodality, as evidenced by the promotion of a number of international initiatives and their consistent implementation at the national level. From a practical point of view, these initiatives are being implemented in projects for the reconstruction of existing and the construction of new transport infrastructure on a national and regional scale.
During the talks, the diplomats exchanged views on urban planning and the development of smart cities. In this context, the positive experience of Turkmenistan was noted on the example of the construction of the city of Arkadag. In this regard, the issues of environmental protection and "green" technologies are especially relevant. Noting environmental issues among the priorities of cooperation, the parties stated the need to further strengthen the legal framework of Turkmenistan in the field of environmental protection through the UNECE.
The parties discussed promising areas for further partnership, including the preparation of reviews on road safety issues, environmental policy, as well as issues related to trade facilitation and the application of the "single window" principles. It was noted that this aspect is currently considered as an important area of cooperation with the UN Economic Commission for Europe, also through the prism of the process of Turkmenistan's accession to the WTO.
