On December 22, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held a digital working meeting with the participation of Vice-Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov, at which the results of working trips carried out on the instructions of the head of state to Pakistan and India on December 18-20, where the delegation of Turkmenistan received  participated in international forums and held bilateral negotiations.

 During the report, R. Meredov said that at the meeting of foreign ministers in the format of the Central Asia-India Dialogue held in New Delhi, Turkmenistan's proposals on establishing effective mechanisms of diplomatic, trade and economic cooperation were voiced.

 In this regard, the proposals aimed at integrating the energy, transport and communication resources of the region were especially noted.  Mainly, these are the projects of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman transport corridor.

 In addition, the participants in the dialogue in New Delhi paid special attention to the Afghan problem.  In this context, Turkmenistan confirmed its positions, including on the establishment of international negotiations with the new Afghan government, strengthening the key role of Afghanistan's neighboring countries in this process.

 As a result of the Dialogue, a Joint Statement was adopted, in which special attention is paid to the Ashgabat Agreement on the Creation of International Transport and Transit Corridors, designed to strengthen the ties of the Central Asian countries with India.

 Meredov also noted that at the meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkmenistan and India, mutual readiness to develop cooperation in a number of areas, primarily in the energy sector, was emphasized.  It was proposed to create a Turkmen-Indian interdepartmental commission for the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline project, as well as to hold a regular meeting of the Steering Committee of this project.

 It was also noted that India attaches great importance to the participation of the President of Turkmenistan as an honored guest in the celebration of the Republic of India Day on January 26, 2022.

 In Pakistan, the delegation of Turkmenistan took part in an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.  The head of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry also met with President Arif Alvi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.

 The main topic of the talks was the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power transmission line.  To promote the TAPI project, it was proposed to create a joint commission at the level of the responsible departments.

 The final Resolution of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the OIC member countries, at the initiative of Turkmenistan, included provisions on the need to continue economic cooperation in order to improve the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and implement major energy, transport and communication projects, such as the TAPI gas pipeline, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-  Pakistan ”, creating new opportunities for improving the social welfare of the Afghan people.

 After hearing the report, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that Pakistan and India are among the key and reliable partners of Turkmenistan in the region.  In this regard, the head of state noted the importance of regional projects promoted by Turkmenistan, the implementation of which will create conditions for the economic development of the entire region.

 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also noted that Turkmenistan will continue to develop cooperation with Pakistan and India and addressed Foreign Minister R. Meredov with a number of instructions on the implementation of the diplomatic strategy of our country based on the principles of permanent neutrality.