The National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has sent an official invitation to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to take part in the International Forum of Peace and Trust to be held on 12 December in Ashgabat. The message was handed over to the diplomatic adviser of the European Commission head by Turkmenistan's Ambassador to Belgium Sapar Palvanov. This is reported by the IIC.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the current state and prospects of interaction between Turkmenistan and the European Union. It was noted that bilateral relations are developing in a constructive manner. Particular attention was paid to the significance of the recent meeting of foreign ministers of the EU and Central Asian countries in Ashgabat, as well as the first summit ‘European Union-Central Asia’, which became important stages on the way to the formation of a sustainable partnership.

The Turkmen side expressed readiness to step up co-operation with the EU in such priority areas as energy, transport, supply of critical raw materials, education and scientific and technical exchange. Interest in deepening dialogue on regional and global agenda - from economic ties to environmental issues - was also confirmed.