OREANDA-NEWS. December 4, 2009. The first consultative meeting on the preparation and organization of the international conference on disarmament in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea Basin in Ashgabat in the first half of 2010 was conducted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The diplomats and experts of the foreign ministries of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part in the meeting.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the participants welcomed the initiative to hold this conference that Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had put forward at the 64th session of the UN General Assembly in New York this autumn.

The participants noted that disarmament as an integral component of global efforts to achieve security across the world was an urgent challenge on the international agenda. The diplomats said that a versatility of the aspects of the disarmament issues required a constructive and consolidated approach taken by all parties concerned, and in this regard the forthcoming international conference would become a political platform for the participating countries to exchange views and adopt mutually acceptable decisions. The international forum, which would be held in Ashgabat for the first time, would lay the foundation for enhancing partnership to achieve security at the regional and global levels as well as serve as an effective mechanism for collaboration on disarmament among the states and international organisations.

The participants discussed the themes of the upcoming conference, the level and format of representation, a possibility to invite the representatives of the authoritative international organisations. The organizing and protocol issues were considered. It was noted that the conference should focus primarily on three key aspects: the review and analysis of the disarmament process in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea Basin, assessment and further development of the international legal framework, the role of the international organisations in addressing the disarmament issues. Each of the abovementioned priorities might include the specific topics related to the current situation on disarmament, the prospects for the development of the international legal framework in this field, intensification of the activity of the international organisations activity to strengthen global security and stability.

Highly evaluating the effective exchange of views the delegations underscored the need to hold the second meeting of the senior officials of the foreign ministries of the Central Asian countries and the Caspian region in early 2010 year to finalize and harmonize the parties’ positions.