On May 12, 2020, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.Meredov attended a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which was held in a video conference format. The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth member states, as well as the Chairman of the Executive Committee – CIS Executive Secretary S.N.Lebedev. During constructive negotiations, the parties discussed a number of important issues relating to the interaction of countries within the Commonwealth in view of the epidemiological situation in the world.
An exchange of views took place on key aspects of the regional and world agenda, including ensuring peace and security, countering modern threats and challenges, biological and environmental security, as well as other pressing issues of partnership of mutual interest. The joint actions of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States in countering the pandemic were discussed.
In this regard, the need to establish effective mechanisms of interaction was emphasized.Minister R. Meredov noted the advisability of considering the issue of establishing contacts between medical scientists, medical practitioners through scientific diplomacy.
He noted that “such an approach to systematic work at a professional level was initiated by the President of Turkmenistan during the recent Summit of the Non- Aligned Movement”. The legal base of interaction was examined in detail, including the coordination of approaches and positions of the CIS countries within the framework of international organizations, mainly the UN, OSCE, EU and SCO.
In this context, it was about the importance of building confidence and establishing a culture of dialogue in interstate relations, especially when resolving disputes and contradictions that arise. The parties also confirmed the importance of expanding cooperation in the field of economics, energy, science and education, as well as in the development and implementation of innovations and advanced technologies in key sectors of the economy. Upon the outcomes of the session, the signing of a number of documents took place, including “On the Plan of Multilevel Inter-MFA Consultations in the Framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States for 2019 and on the Plan for 2020,” “On the Strategy for the Development of Cooperation of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States in the field of physical culture and sports for 20212030” and “On the implementation in 2022 of the Interstate program “Cultural Capitals of the Commonwealth”.