Skopje, 9 October 2023 (MIA) – As part of his visit to Turkmenistan, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani, held a meeting Monday with the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov.

According to a press release from the Foreign Ministry, Osmani and Meredov discussed several topics of joint interest related to OSCE, and also touched upon regional issues that affect Turkmenistan and the broader OSCE region.

“OSCE is going through a turbulent period. Russia’s military aggression on Ukraine continues to threaten the overall stability of the OSCE region, above all causing enormous human suffering. This not only threatens the work of the OSCE, but also has a big impact on our countries, resulting in deep socio-economic consequences for the people,” said Osmani.

The region of Central Asia, noted Osmani, is also affected by the economic and social instability in Afghanistan, qualifying it as “another situation which calls for a joint response within the frameworks of OSCE in order to mitigate the risks.”

“OSCE will continue to serve as the only platform for dialogue and will support the participating countries in combating these influences through the OSCE action framework as a response to the implications from the situation in Afghanistan for the OSCE region,” said Osmani at a joint press conference.

Osmani and Meredov also spoke about the assistance received by Turkmenistan from the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat in order to help the country fight against corruption; managing border security with the aim of effectively tackling cross-border challenges; assistance for vulnerable groups; and especially assistance for tackling gender-based violence.

“These are few of the many areas in which the cooperation between OSCE field mission and the national institutions results in direct benefits for the people of Turkmenistan,” said Osmani.

The region of Central Asia is one of the key OSCE regions, and the Programme of the 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia, according to the press release, pays great attention to dealing with the risks faced by the region.

The five countries of Central Asia: Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, marked 30 years as OSCE participating states in 2022.

Photo: MFA