Turkmenistan, EU discuss possibility of increasing mutual trade turnover

AKIPRESS.COM - The nineteenth meeting of the Turkmenistan-European Union Joint Committee was held in a video conference format Thursday, Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in its press release.
The delegation of Turkmenistan consisted of heads and representatives of several ministries and departments, including the Ministries of Finance and Economy, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, Education, Health and Medical Industry. The EU delegation consisted of representatives of the European External Action Service, led by Deputy Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia, Luc Devigne.
The meeting participants underlined a high level of development of relations between Turkmenistan and the European Union. Noting the importance of high-level political and diplomatic dialogue and contacts, the parties focused on the development of trade and economic cooperation. The sides noted the negative socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and agreed to exchange share experience, technological and information resources to overcome this situation.
The officials particularly considered the issues of cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, communications and digitalization. The participants discussed the possibility of increasing trade turnover, and further developing cooperation between the private sectors of Turkmenistan and the EU countries.
The parties also exchanged views on expanding cooperation in the fields of education and healthcare and discussed joint programs and projects in the fields of ecology, agriculture, and finance. The sides noted that Turkmenistan and the EU have been successfully cooperating in the framework of national and regional projects for many years.
The parties set a preliminary dates for the 20th meeting of the Turkmenistan-EU Joint Committee next year.