On November 10, 2023, a meeting was held between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Matteo Mecacci, who arrived in Ashgabat on a working visit.
During the meeting, the minister noted the importance of this visit in the context of intensifying cooperation between Turkmenistan and the OSCE. It was stated that Turkmenistan, along with other international organizations, effectively interacts with such OSCE institutions as the Parliamentary Assembly, the Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media.
The regular participation of the ODIHR mission to assess the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan was noted.
The parties considered the possibilities of intensifying interaction between Turkmenistan and the OSCE in such areas as assistance in legislative activities, support for the office of the Ombudsman of Turkmenistan, strengthening electoral processes, promoting media freedom and access to information, as well as further cooperation in the field of human rights.
During the visit, the ODIHR OSCE Director also held meetings with the Chairman of the Mejlis, heads of the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Adalat, the Institute of State, Law and Democracy, as well as the Ombudsman of Turkmenistan.
