The capital of Belgium, where the headquarter of the European Union is based, hosted the 18th meeting of the EU Turkmenistan Joint Committee.The agenda of current meeting between representatives of the EU structures for regional cooperation and profile departments of our country included the subjects of development of trade relations, further promotion of the reforms in economic policy of Turkmenistan, which were reviewed in the context of the EU Strategy for Central Asia that is currently under development.
The sides have discussed macroeconomic situation, condition of mutual trade, analysed the outcomes of joint activity and reviewed perspective projects.The cooperation in such directions as the supremacy of law, reformation of the state administration, financial and investment cooperation, security, in particular combating against terrorism, illegal drug trafficking and other threats and challenges of the present, counteracting of which is a fundamental position of the policy of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The attention has also been paid to current subjects of the partnership in the sphere of education and professional technical training, environment and climate change, energy and transport sector.
It was mentioned at the session that cooperation between Turkmenistan and European Union is developed steadily, cooperation in numerous spheres is activated and the integration is intensified both on bilateral level as well in the formats of the regions, European Union and Central Asia.
The European Union id the partner of Turkmenistan in the implementation of number of economic projects and programmes aimed at sustainable development and social and economic progress.For the last years, the projects in health protection, environmental protection and economic spheres were actively implemented.
Several visits of representatives of the European Commission took place in 2018 for monitoring of the projects as well as for discussion of new programmes of technical support for the EU.
At present, ten projects in such spheres as education, science, energy, agriculture, legal reforms, private sector and environmental protection are under implementation.Three of the projects are carried out on national level while seven projects of regional level.
Scientific and education sphere is a key vector of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU.Dozens of projects for training and improvement of qualification level of personnel, professional skills of specialists in different branches of the economy and social sphere under such educational programmes as TEMPUS, ERASMUS MUNDUS, ERASMUS+.
CAREN have been implemented for the years of the partnership.At the moment, three projects including for innovations in agriculture, improvement of high education in Central Asia by modern technologies and management in transport sphere are implemented under the ERASMUS + Programme.
Taking into account the objectives in training of qualified specialists with regard to digitization of national economy, major plans of the country’s industrialization and modernization of all spheres of activity, Turkmen side proposed to enforce this direction including initial, secondary and high professional education under new EU Strategy for Central Asia.
It is also reasonable to activate the exchanges between the universities of Europe and Central Asia and programmes of practical training of young specialists.Collaboration in the area of improvement of political and legal foundation of the country and society development remains an important sphere of cooperation.
For example, Turkmenistan participates in the EU Regional Project “The Platform of the Supremacy of Law”, under which seminars, trainings and other events are organized.Annual dialogs on human rights also serve as the instruments of cooperation.
Number of projects is implemented by Turkmenistan with the support of the EU on financial and economic sector.It includes such directions as rational use of natural resources and environmental protection, support of development of private sector, renewable sources of energy and other.
At present, national projects “Support of Further Stable Development of agriculture and Rural Areas”, which is focused on the stimulation of entrepreneurship in branches of agricultural complex of the regions in the country, is under implementation.
All these projects are aimed at the implementation of international standards, advanced technologies, programme software and improvement of efficiency of certain spheres of national economy.With regards to investment attractiveness, the participants of the meeting noted that projects of formation of transport corridors and logistic centres, which restore historical route of the Silk Road, support the expansion of economic activity in Turkmenistan and countries of central Asia, Orientation of economic development of our country to deep processing of natural gas and oil also leads to the review of certain spheres of investment cooperation.
Development of renewable sources of energy presents special interest for cooperation.Environment protection especially the subjects of protection and rational use of water and biological resources, prevention of consequences of global climate change, reduction of emissions and combating against the desertification is another perspective direction of the partnership.
Practice and opportunity of cooperation in security under regional Board Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA) and Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP), in which Turkmenistan participates already for around 15 years, have been reviewed at the session.
In this regard, the necessity of development of new mechanisms of the partnership in these spheres has been mentioned.