PARTICIPATION OF THE TURKMEN DELEGATION IN THE SECOND MINISTERIAL MEETING WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE STRATEGIC DIALOGUE "GCC + CENTRAL ASIA"
On April 15, 2024, a delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov took part in the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Strategic Dialogue "Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf - Central Asia" (GCC + Central Asia) in Tashkent.
The forum was attended by the heads of foreign ministries of Central Asian countries and six member states of the Cooperation Council of Arab States of the Gulf such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The meeting participants discussed issues of strengthening mutually beneficial and comprehensive cooperation in trade, economic, investment, transport and communications, cultural, humanitarian, environmental and tourism sectors within the framework of the GCC - Central Asia format, as well as the status of the implementation of the “Joint Action Plan on Strategic Communication and cooperation for 2023-2027”. In addition, during the forum, the sides exchanged views on current international and regional issues, as well as on preparations for the upcoming GCC-Central Asia summit to be held in Uzbekistan in 2025.
The heads of delegations participating in the strategic dialogue adopted the following statement:
The Heads of delegations to the Strategic Dialogue adopted the following statement:
1. They reviewed the implementation status of the outcomes of the first Summit of the Heads of State of the GCC–Central Asia Strategic Dialogue (July 19, 2023, Jeddah), which have provided guidance and direction for this process. It was noted that this format is steadily developing as a solid platform for strengthening mutual understanding, trust, and equal partnership among member states.
2. They reaffirmed their joint commitment to forming a sustainable and forward-looking partnership based on common values and mutual interests.
3. They stressed the necessity of promoting trade and investment exchanges between the two regions, noting the importance of cooperation to ensure sustainable supply chains, transport and transit connection, food, energy and water resources, as well as implementing joint investment projects, developing clean energy, addressing environmental problems and sharing best practices in education and health. They took note of proposals for investment promotion mechanisms from participating countries, including proposals by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and encouraged investment officials from both sides to study these proposals and explore effective mechanisms to promote investment between the two regions, in accordance with GCC-Central Asia Joint Action Plan (2023-2027).
4. They agreed to continue cooperation between the two regions in addressing climate change, emphasizing managing greenhouse gas emissions regardless of their source. They welcomed the historical “UAE Consensus” reached at the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai in 2023. They stressed the importance of the Middle East Green Initiative led by Saudi Arabia to the region, which aims at addressing emissions through the Circular Carbon Economy Approach adopted by the GCC and reaffirmed their commitment to its initiatives. They noted the hydropower plants under realization in Central Asia, including Rogun HPP in Tajikistan and Kambarata-1 in Kyrgyzstan, which will substantially increase the potential of joint water and energy cooperation in the region. They also noted the successful conclusion of the International Horticultural Exhibition in Qatar (Doha EXPO-2023).
5. They noted the “Muhammed bin Zayed Water Initiative,” launched by the UAE on Feb.29, 2024, and Saudi Arabia’s decision to establish an international water organization in Riyadh to address water scarcity worldwide and mobilize investments for this purpose.
6. They recalled the Joint Statement of the GCC-Central Asian Summit in Jeddah on July 19, 2023, where the leaders called for cooperation in the field of energy, and considering that the member states of the Strategic Dialogue possess rich energy sources and advanced infrastructure and facilities for production, processing and transportation, they took note of Turkmenistan’s proposal to analyze the potential for cooperation and possible joint activities in the energy sector, to be discussed within the framework of the GCC-Central Asia Joint Action Plan (2023-2027), as well as Saudi Arabia’s proposal to coordinate between the Member States of the International Energy Forum in this regard.
During his speech, the Turkmen delegation voiced topical issues and initiatives to strengthen cooperation between the participating countries of the strategic dialogue in the transport, communication, energy, trade, economic, and cultural and humanitarian spheres.
Following the results of the second meeting in Tashkent, a Joint Statement was adopted by the heads of Foreign Affairs Agencies of the countries of Central Asia and the Arab States of the Gulf.
Batyr ESENOV,
the 3rd year student of the Faculty of International Relations of the
Institute of International Relations of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.