Mergen Kepbanov, Director of the Project Office of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) in Turkmenistan, held meetings in Ashgabat with the Ambassadors of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. The parties discussed cooperation in the fields of environmental protection, climate change and sustainable development, according to Turkmenportal.

On 18 September, Mergen Kepbanov met with Ravshanbek Alimov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan.

During the meeting, Kepbanov presented the activities of the CAREC project office in Turkmenistan, including the implementation of national and regional environmental projects. Cooperation with government bodies, international organisations, and scientific and educational institutions was also discussed.

Particular attention was paid to cooperation with Green University in Tashkent. According to the project office, in 2026, with its assistance, eight citizens of Turkmenistan were admitted to the university — four onto undergraduate programmes and four onto postgraduate programmes. A further citizen of Tajikistan was admitted to an undergraduate programme.

The parties also expressed an interest in jointly organising events on environmental protection, climate and water resources.

On 22 September, Mergen Kepbanov held a meeting with Gismat Gozalov, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkmenistan.

The main topics of negotiation were environmental protection, climate change, sustainable development and the conservation of the Caspian Sea ecosystem.

Kepbanov noted that the CAREC project office has been operating in Turkmenistan since 2014. The parties also highlighted the office’s representatives’ participation in environmental events in Baku, including those taking place as part of COP29 in 2024.

The development of cooperation within the ‘Central Asia + Azerbaijan’ framework was discussed separately. Possible areas of cooperation mentioned included the conservation of the Caspian Sea’s biodiversity, water resource management, combating land degradation, the development of renewable energy, environmental education and youth engagement.

Possible formats for cooperation under consideration include conferences, round-table discussions and expert meetings in Ashgabat and Baku.

Mergen Kepbanov also announced that an international conference on reducing methane emissions is planned for 29–30 October in Ashgabat, with the support of the CAREC project office.

Following the meetings, the parties confirmed their readiness to continue their working dialogue and to develop cooperation in the environmental sphere.