Turkmen FM meets US Secretary of State in Washington

Washington, The Gulf Observer: Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov met with Secretary of State Antony J.Blinken in Washington on Monday, the US Department of State announced.

The meeting took part in the framework of the Annual Bilateral Consultations.

Before the start of the meeting, Secretary Blinken addressed the media and noted that he had met with Rashid Meredov two months earlier at the C5+1 ministerial meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.

According to the press release issued by the State Department, Secretary Blinken emphasized the US support for Turkmenistan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. The Secretary highlighted the importance of decreasing methane emissions to tackle the climate crisis and discussed ways of collaborating with Turkmenistan to rapidly cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.

The Foreign Minister Meredov told the media that he along with officials from US State Department discussed bilateral cooperation in energy, economy and human rights.

The diplomats exchanged views on the development of cultural and educational partnerships as well as improving the implementation of labor rights in Turkmenistan.

The bilateral talks also included topics of regional development, security cooperation and prospects of economic partnerships, the State Department informed in its press release.

Established in 2009, Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABC) is a platform for annual discussions and consultations between high-ranking Turkmen and US officials.

On February 28, meeting with Secretary Blinken at C5+1 ministerial meeting in Astana, Rashid Meredov said that Turkmenistan is committed to holding bilateral consultations with United States.