During a government meeting on Friday, 13 September 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov announced plans to foster international cooperation of Turkmenistan in the digital sphere.
In particular, it is proposed to develop an Action Plan to align the country’s legislative framework with contemporary international legal standards. To achieve this, regular seminars and conferences will be organized with international partner organizations. These events will focus on exploring Turkmenistan’s potential accession to relevant digitalization conventions and the modernization of national legislation in line with international best practices.
At the same time, it is proposed to hold an interregional Dialogue on the development of digital cooperation in Ashgabat in November 2024.
Another proposal focuses on developing a cooperation program with technologically advanced countries to ensure the cybersecurity of Turkmenistan’s digital system from 2025 to 2027. This initiative involves regularly familiarizing Turkmen specialists with international best practices in cybersecurity and information technology protection.
Additionally, it is proposed to further strengthen cooperation with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office to protect the digital system.
Meredov emphasized the importance of Turkmenistan’s participation in UNCTO events and projects in 2024-2025. These initiatives address preventing cyberterrorism, protecting key infrastructures from cyberattacks, and other related cybersecurity challenges.
Furthermore, he proposed expanding Turkmenistan’s partnership with the OSCE in areas such as cybersecurity, digitalization of public and banking services, economy, and enhancing the expertise of national specialists in digital financial systems. This includes plans to study various regional projects and offer regular refresher courses.
Commenting on the report, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that a digital system is being widely introduced in Turkmenistan in order to modernize sectors of the national economy. According to the requirements of the time, the types of services are being improved and their range is expanding. In this regard, it is necessary to constantly study best practices in order to carry out this activity at the level of international standards, the head of state said, addressing specific instructions to the Deputy Prime Minister.///nCa, 16 September 2024