OREANDA-NEWS. May 15, 2008. A two-day workshop organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under President of Turkmenistan and the OSCE Centre in Ashkhabad started in the Turkmen capital. The key aspects of further improvement of the national legislation in compliance with the norms of international law are put on the agenda of the seminar.

The forum was held in the framework of the joint projects between the government of Turkmenistan and the OSCE Centre in Ashkhabad. It brought together the deputies of the Mejlis, the officials of the MFA, the Ministry of Home Affairs, he Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Supreme Council, the Institute of State and Law under President of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under President of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting Activities and the journalists. Among the guests are Head of the Legislative Support Unit of the Office for Democracy and Human Rights Mr. Denis Petit and the international experts.

Exchanging views the participants noted that the solid basis of the statutory and legal acts regulating all spheres of the social relations has been created in Turkmenistan during the years of independence. Thus, the laws underlying development of all the branches of state law – constitutional, diplomatic, civil, criminal, economic, etc were elaborated and adopted. On May 18, 1992 Turkmenistan adopted the Constitution. In the following years the fundamental law was amended to be brought into line to the norms of international law. The Civil Code elaborated with assistance of the international experts and recognized as one the best civil codes in the post Soviet space is effectively implemented. In 1997 the Criminal Code of Turkmenistan was implemented. The current legislative activity is aimed at elaborating the legal procedures of administration of civil and criminal law.

The participants noted that in the current period the considerable work to study the best international practice and to establish the effective contacts with the international organisations were carried on in Turkmenistan nowadays. The participants focused on the issues related to introducing amendments and additions to the Constitution as an important factor for ensuring the reliable legal basis for the on-going social and economic reforms. The State Commission for Improvement of the National Legislation and the Constitutional Commission responsible for implementing the legal reform were established in accordance with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s decision.

The workshop participants expressed belief that the present meeting would promote successful constructive co-operation between Turkmenistan and the leading international organisations in the law drafting activity.