During a government meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov outlined initiatives to strengthen cooperation between Turkmenistan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
A key aspect is the development of a five-year Framework Program for cooperation.
This program will encompass healthcare, particularly nuclear medicine, water resource management, and agriculture. It will serve as a roadmap for new national projects within the IAEA’s technical partnership framework.
To discuss the draft of this Program, it is planned to hold a regular meeting of a specially created group in June this year.
Additionally, Turkmenistan seeks election to one of the IAEA’s eight structural divisions.
The partnership will also address cancer prevention and treatment. Based on the fact that the IAEA is the leading international organization in this field, and taking into account the existing positive experience, it is proposed to implement the ImPACT joint action monitoring program in Turkmenistan.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized the importance of Turkmenistan’s multifaceted partnership with the UN and its agencies, including the IAEA. He instructed Foreign Minister Meredov to continue promoting cooperation in this area.
The country joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1994 and signed a safeguards agreement with the IAEA in 2005.
Since 2016, Turkmenistan has been a full IAEA member, and in 2023, the country joined two additional IAEA conventions on nuclear safety. Currently, four IAEA technical cooperation projects are underway in Turkmenistan. ///nCa, 20 May 2024