In a meeting today, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa of Japan reaffirmed the importance of their bilateral relationship, highlighting areas of mutually beneficial cooperation like natural resources, decarbonization, and economic development.
The two ministers agreed that frequent high-level engagement is crucial for fostering stronger ties. They expressed their support for a summit between the two countries’ presidents this year.
The discussion centered around building a sustainable and long-term trade and economic partnership.
Minister Kamikawa stated that Turkmenistan is an important partner in terms of both the natural resource business and decarbonization, and that she would like to strengthen economic relations in various fields.
In this regard, she stated that Japanese companies have been supporting Turkmenistan’s industrial diversification through large-scale projects such as natural gas processing, and that she would like to cooperate in the field of energy transition.
Minister Kamikawa also welcomed the positive movements, such as the agreement in principle of the Tax Convention and the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation between the two countries on cooperation in the field of decarbonization.
The ministers identified other promising areas for collaboration, including digitalization, information technology, environmental protection, and climate change. They underlined the importance of regular parliamentary exchanges and planned reciprocal visits throughout the year.
To ensure ongoing dialogue, both sides agreed to continue regular political consultations at the senior level, expand contacts between representatives at international organizations.
They also agreed maintain the momentum of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, particularly in education, science, cultural exchanges, and Japanese language studies.
The ministers praised the existing fruitful cooperation between the two countries on international platforms. Additionally, they discussed hosting the first Summit of the “Central Asia+Japan” Dialogue.
They exchanged views on other international and regional issues of mutual interest.
The meeting concluded with the signing of the Cooperation Program between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan for 2024-2026. ///nCa, 24 January 2024