Oriented on making people closer

At a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan on Friday, July 18, important initiatives were announced to strengthen the country's cooperation with international organizations in the field of security. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov presented to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov a report on the work being done and specific proposals aimed at strengthening Turkmenistan's role in global security and nuclear energy control.

As noted, Turkmenistan consistently confirms its commitment to the principles of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, which is enshrined in a number of key international treaties. The country has acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1994), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (1998) and is part of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (2006), strictly fulfilling all of its obligations.

In development of this policy, a number of proposals for further development of constructive partnership with relevant international structures were submitted to the head of state for consideration. The following initiatives are particularly highlighted:

• Explore accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW): It is proposed to conduct relevant work to explore the possibility of Turkmenistan joining this important document. The TPNW was adopted in 2017 and entered into force in 2021, with 94 states already joining. This demonstrates the growing global movement for a complete ban on nuclear weapons.

• Organize a CTBTO regional seminar in 2026: A joint regional seminar with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is planned to be held in Turkmenistan in 2026. The event will bring together CTBTO National Information Center Coordinators from Central Asian and Caucasus countries, which will facilitate the exchange of experiences and strengthen regional coordination.

Along with this, proposals were voiced to improve the work of the seismological station of the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the TPNW, located in Turkmenistan. The discussion was about establishing a mechanism for using IMS data by domestic specialized institutions, as well as strengthening cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov approved the submitted proposals aimed at strengthening the partnership on security issues, and instructed the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to take appropriate measures for their implementation.

ORIENT

Photo: by Aude Catimel for ICAN