Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedov plans to visit Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 8 and 9 November to attend the 16th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), local TV channel Altyn Asyr reports.
(The structure, founded in 1985 with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, expanded its influence after the accession of the five Central Asian states, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan - Daryo).
Preparations for the Turkmen delegation's working visit to Uzbekistan were discussed at the government meeting. Berdimuhamedov noted that "strengthening and developing mutually beneficial cooperation within international organisations is a priority of the country's foreign policy strategy".
The organisation's last summit was held in the Turkmen capital on 28 November, 2021. It resulted in the adoption of the Ashgabat Consensus of Action, which spoke of the importance of improving energy security in the region.
This document was generally aimed at activating the partnership of ECO countries in trade and economic, investment, transport and logistics and energy spheres.
Experts told Daryo that the region of 500mn people holds a third of the world's energy resources and is uniquely positioned to connect Europe and China to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.
In Ashgabat, there was also an initiative to create a unified transport council, as 7 out of 10 ECO member countries are landlocked.
The final declaration stressed the importance of political inclusiveness in Afghanistan, the protection of fundamental human rights and effective measures to combat terrorism.
Eziz Boyarov
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