A two-day seminar on combating corruption as a foundation for economic stability took place in Ashgabat from 15 to 16 April. The event, organised by the OSCE Centre, aimed to analyse Turkmenistan’s legislation and bring it into line with international standards set by the UN, the OECD and the Council of Europe, according to the news agency Orient.

The programme included both theoretical discussions and the analysis of practical case studies. Representatives from the Mejlis, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecutor General’s Office, together with an expert from Latvia, examined anti-corruption strategies, the identification of risks within state structures and approaches to assessing the effectiveness of measures.

William Leaf, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, noted that a key element in the fight against corruption is strengthening the accountability of governance. Participants also studied the experience of EU and Central Asian countries in criminalising corruption offences to further improve institutions.

Particular attention was paid to the educational aspect: the materials produced are planned to be incorporated into the training of future lawyers and diplomats. Lecturers note that studying international practices will help to train specialists who are focused on good governance standards right from the training stage.