On 26 February, a bilateral meeting between Turkmenistan's Foreign Affairs Minister Rashid Meredov and the UK's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Yvette Cooper took place at Lancaster House. The Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Stephen Doughty, also participated in the negotiations, according to the press service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Turkmenistan.

The parties discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation, the regional agenda and current international topics. The importance of the first ministerial meeting in the ‘Central Asia-UK’ format was noted and the readiness to fill it with practical content was confirmed.

The Turkmen side once again emphasised its commitment to the peaceful political and diplomatic settlement of international issues on the basis of international law and the UN Charter.

Particular attention was paid to the development of economic partnership, including cooperation in the fields of ‘green’ technology, digitalisation, transport, and the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties. The meeting confirmed the mutual interest in further strengthening the Turkmen-British partnership.

On the same day, a working lunch was held between the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Central Asia and the United Kingdom, organised by the British side. The participants discussed issues of regional security, sustainable development and interregional cooperation.

In his speech, Rashid Meredov presented a number of initiatives to develop practical cooperation and strengthen regional security, including the launch of joint educational programmes and the creation of a ‘Turkmenistan-UK Cultural Dialogue’ format.

The importance of assisting Afghanistan through the implementation of infrastructure projects, including the TAPI gas pipeline, power lines and railway construction, was noted. It was also proposed to expand technical and advisory cooperation with the involvement of British companies and the introduction of digital solutions to increase the transparency of cross-border trade.