OREANDA-NEWS. September 25, 2009. The aspects of government-parliament cooperation in the lawmaking process were considered the two-day seminar in Ashgabat. The deputies of the Mejlis, specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, the Institute of State and Law under the President of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, professors of Magtymguly Turkmen State University and the Institute of International Relations took part in the forum organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

The international experts representing the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) were invited to take part in the seminar held in the framework of the joint projects of the Government of Turkmenistan and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

According to the organizers the main goal of the seminar was to provide consultations to Turkmen specialists on the issues of forming the legal policy, the methodology for monitoring normative and statutory acts, drafting the proposals on improvements to the national legislation.

Those speaking at the forum noted that an essential aspect of the large-scale social and economic transformations was the legal reform aimed at updating the national legislation in compliance with the universally recognized international norms and standards. As is known, adoption of the new Constitution of Turkmenistan was an important step to promote the fundamental reforms initiated by the Turkmen leader that had intensified and proved the irreversibility of the democratic processes.

The international experts presented the overviews and made presentations on the technique of planning and managing the preparation, discussion and approval of draft law at the governmental level, debates of draft laws in the parliament and coordination of the mechanisms between the government and the parliament at each stage of the lawmaking process.

Exchanging views the forum participants expressed belief that this meeting would promote constructive cooperation between Turkmenistan and OSCE.