The heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the Central Asian countries and the United States held online negotiations in the "C5 + 1" format on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

The US Secretary of State and Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reaffirmed the particular importance of the C5 + 1 regional diplomatic platform, noting its usefulness in facilitating difficult negotiations throughout 2021 on Afghan settlement, countering COVID-19, and developing economic ties and resolving the climate crisis.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov stressed the relevance of regular meetings in this format, noting that this creates opportunities for broad discussion and adoption of urgent measures on topical issues of the regional and international agenda.

During the conversation, the parties expressed interest in continuing the diplomatic dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation in countering threats and challenges to regional security.

The ministers also called for a close consolidation of efforts aimed at alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. In this regard, the importance of an open and mutually agreed dialogue with the new government in this country was emphasized in all areas of mutual interest.

Also during the online conversation, the key areas of interaction between the Central Asian countries and the United States in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian fields were discussed. Particular attention was paid to the fight against climate change and the development of the transport and transit potential of the region.

Source: Turkmenistan.ru