OREANDA-NEWS. June 04, 2009. The regular, 10th meeting of the Turkmenistan-European Union Joint Committee is conducted in the capital of the European Union, Brussels. On the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov the delegation led by rime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov is participating in the meeting.

As is known, Europe is a priority of the foreign policy of Turkmenistan, which endeavours to establish wide international cooperation in common interests. The results of the Turkmen leader’s visit to Brussels in November 2007 and a series of the important meetings and talks held by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with the EU high-ranking officials brought the traditional dialogue up to a qualitatively new and higher level.

During the following years the partners took some essential steps to intensify cooperation meeting mutual interests and potential. In particular, the partners intensified the exchange of government delegations, established business, scientific and cultural contacts. The EU representation was significance extended. After the Europa House was opened in Ashgabat the first head of the representative office of the European Commission was accredited to Turkmenistan. Furthermore, a number of the joint projects were implemented in the country in the framework of the EU programmes such as Tempus and Erasmus Mundus.

Development of cooperation with Turkmenistan that plays the key role in the Central Asian region is one of the major priorities for the EU. That was the focus of the recent talks of the 3EU and the Central Asian countries at the level of foreign ministers.

In the bilateral format the agenda for the meeting in Brussels provides for discussion of the specific issues of implementing a new Turkmenistan-EU partnership strategy, which dictates closer cooperation in the political, economic, environmental and humanitarian fields. The focus of the dialogue – fuel and energy partnership, the willingness to develop which was secured by Turkmenistan and the European Union in the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Cooperation. Europe’s interest in enhancing cooperation in this important sector is conditioned by the increasing energy needs of the European countries as well as the policy of energy-rich Turkmenistan, which endeavours to place its propound energy potential at the service of the whole mankind. The European community ardently welcomes the Turkmen leader’s strategy to diversify transit of Turkmen energy to international markets and relevant international initiatives.

The meeting in Brussels aimed at further strengthening mutually advantageous contacts between the EU and Turkmenistan will be of particular importance fro building an effective model of cooperation meeting the modern realities and the spirit of mutually advantageous and equal partnership.