During a government meeting, Vice-Chairman and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov briefed on the steps being taken to strengthen cooperation between Turkmenistan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"A number of proposals have been prepared to expand bilateral partnership, including improving national legislation in accordance with IAEA norms and holding regular consultations throughout 2024," the Minister said.

The Vice-Chairman also voiced a proposal to prepare a five-year Cooperation Framework Program between Turkmenistan and the IAEA.

As noted, this document, covering such areas as nuclear medicine, rational use of water resources, and agriculture, will serve as a solid foundation for developing new national projects in priority areas within the framework of Turkmenistan's technical partnership with the IAEA. To discuss the draft of this Program, it is planned to hold another meeting of a specially created group in June of this year.

It is also proposed to take steps to strengthen the international legal basis for multilateral cooperation with countries of the world within the IAEA framework and to elect Turkmenistan to one of the 8 acting structural subdivisions of the Agency.

Among the topical vectors of partnership, interaction in the field of medicine to combat oncological diseases was also mentioned. To this end, it is proposed to implement the impact joint action monitoring program in Turkmenistan.

As noted, since the first years of independence, after Turkmenistan joined the UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1994, bilateral consultations have been held with the IAEA. On May 17, 2005, a corresponding Agreement on the Application of Safeguards was signed between Turkmenistan and this Agency, which contributed to the establishment of effective cooperation in this area.

Since 2016, Turkmenistan has been a full member of the IAEA. Partnership with this organization, which is part of the UN system, is carried out in a number of areas. In order to strengthen the international legal basis of interaction, in 2023 the country joined two IAEA Conventions on nuclear safety. Within the framework of technical cooperation, four Agency projects are currently being implemented in Turkmenistan.

Summarizing the report, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized the effective and multifaceted nature of Turkmenistan's partnership with the UN and its specialized agencies. Focusing on interaction with the IAEA, the head of state instructed the Vice-Chairman and Foreign Minister to continue work in this direction.