OREANDA-NEWS. September 19, 2008. The EU-Central Asia Security Forum bringing together about 60 delegations from different countries worldwide and the international organisations began in Paris on September 18.

On the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Vice Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov represents Turkmenistan at the forum.

The aim of the representative forum organized on the initiative of France that chairs the European Union is to discuss and specify the approaches and solutions to the problems which exist in the exceptionally important Central Asian region nowadays.

The organizers of the action note that co-operation in tackling modern challenges and threats is a priority of the EU Strategy for Central Asia adopted in June 2007 aimed at closer political, economic and humanitarian EU-Central Asia collaboration.

The agenda includes three blocks of the items: trafficking control, in particular illicit drug trafficking, terrorism and extremism control and energy security and environment.

Turkmenistan demonstrates the clear, definite position on all these issues. In the energy sector Turkmenistan stands for wide international co-operation, particularly with the European Union. The reciprocal interest in intensifying co-operation in the fuel and energy sector is brightly illustrated by the Memorandum of Understanding in Energy Co-Operation issued by Turkmenistan and the European Union this spring.

The European community’s interest in this strategic partnership is conditioned by the policy of the Turkmen state endeavoring to place its profound energy potential at the service of the whole mankind. In particular, Europe welcomes Turkmenistan’s course towards diversifying energy export to the world markets and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s initiative on security of the transnational pipeline infrastructure. The forum is expected to focus on this theme as well.