On September 26, a visit of the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov to New York began to participate in the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

As part of the visit, a number of meetings of the Turkmen delegation with the heads of UN structures and international organizations took place. Thus, at a meeting with Vladimir Voronkov, UN Under-Secretary-General, head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, issues of developing cooperation in the fight against terrorism were discussed.

In this regard, the role of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy with headquarters in Ashgabat, which includes representatives of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, was emphasized, the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan reported.

Particular attention was paid to the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, and the role of Turkmenistan in the implementation of the planned activities was emphasized. The upcoming regional meetings on critical infrastructure and strengthening energy connectivity, which will be held in Ashgabat in October and November of this year, respectively, were also discussed.

Also, on the first day of the visit of the delegation of Turkmenistan to New York, Rashid Meredov met with Jan Borg, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malta, the current Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. During the discussions of joint efforts in the OSCE format, the parties noted the importance of the upcoming meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OSCE countries at the end of this year.

Along with this, the heads of foreign policy of the two countries discussed the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Malta.

On the same day, Rashid Meredov met with Ambassador Helga Schmid, the former OSCE Secretary General. At the meeting, Ms. Schmid's great personal contribution to Turkmenistan's cooperation with the OSCE was emphasized, including initiatives to expand interaction in such areas as regional security, climate change, digitalization, and women's empowerment.

Ambassador Helga Schmid also noted Turkmenistan's positive contribution to the organization's activities and its commitment to fruitful cooperation with the OSCE.

On the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on September 26 in New York, there was held a meeting between Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and the Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Asad Majid Khan.

At the meeting, the parties noted the intensification of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the ECO and discussed key areas of interaction, highlighting such priorities as energy, transport and communications, trade and economic integration, digitalization, and culture. Particular attention was paid to increasing the potential of the North-South and East-West transport and transit corridors, and stimulating cross-border economic activity.

The ECO Secretary General noted the merits of the city of Arkadag and the widespread implementation of innovative solutions, and confirmed interest in organizing high-level events in the new smart city under the auspices of the ECO.