Russian and Turkmen parliamentarians held a roundtable discussion on the direction and priorities of inter-parliamentary cooperation.
Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin and First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee Vladimir Dzhabarov held a roundtable meeting with Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Halk Maslahaty (upper house) of the Milli Gengesh (parliament) of Turkmenistan Myakhri Byashimova and Chair of the Committee on International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations of the Mejlis (lower house) of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Merdan Tuvakov. The discussion focused on the direction and priorities of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Turkmenistan and Russia.
The event was held during the official visit by a delegation of the Halk Maslahaty of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan led by Speaker Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The senators discussed and assessed a number of initiatives aimed at building up bilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation, the main priorities of parliamentary interaction between the two countries for the coming period, the prospects for further alignment between Russia and Central Asia, as well as parliamentary initiatives in the context of international and bilateral parliamentary activities.
As Grigory Karasin later told the media, Speaker of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s remarks at the Federation Council testified to a high level of mutual trust and reaffirmed joint efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation. “It is extremely important that an Inter-Parliamentary Commission has been created between the two houses, which will be at the forefront of this work,” the Senator said.
He expressed satisfaction with the level of interaction between Russia and Turkmenistan at international platforms, including the UN. “We are confident that our countries will continue close coordination, taking into account the strategic nature of Russia-Turkmenistan relations. We pay great attention to the Turkmen initiatives at the General Assembly. On 28 July 2022, during the plenary meeting of the 76th session, Russia co-sponsored the resolution declaring Central Asia a zone of peace, trust and cooperation, drafted and submitted by Turkmenistan. We consider this document important, timely and fully in line with the trends in the interstate relations in the region. We have no doubt that the document will contribute to the further growth of trust and to the sustainable development of Central Asia,” Grigory Karasin said.
According to Vladimir Dzhabarov, Russia and Turkmenistan have established a deep-rooted strategic partnership.
“The reason the two countries are growing closer is their joint efforts to preserve peace and security, to ensure the continued development of Central Asia, and counter the collective West’s policy of destabilising the region,” the Senator believes.
Russian parliamentarians highly appreciate Turkmenistan's policy of neutrality and its independent foreign policy, Vladimir Dzhabarov noted.
“Turkmenistan is making a great contribution to the growth of cooperation between the parliamentarians from the Central Asian states. This is evidenced by the first Inter-Parliamentary Forum of Central Asia and the Russian Federation held in Ashgabat in May 2022. The Russian side supported Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s initiative to create a permanent secretariat of the Forum,” the lawmaker said.
He also underscored the great importance of the Women’s Dialogue of the States of Central Asia and Russia, which took place in May 2022, where participants discussed the achievement of the sustainable development goals established by the UN General Assembly, and noted the significant contribution to the region’s development made by women.
The Senator expressed assuredness that cooperation between Russia and Central Asian countries would keep expanding, thanks to the efforts made by the two countries’ parliamentarians, among other stakeholders.
Merdan Tuvakov believes that new opportunities are currently being created to strengthen Russia-Turkmenistan inter-parliamentary cooperation. He noted the great interest shown by parliamentarians in both countries in expanding the formats of cooperation.
According to Myakhri Byashimova, relations with the Russian Federation are among the priorities of Turkmenistan's foreign policy.