The U.S. State Department held bilateral consultations with Turkmenistan

The annual Turkmen-American consultations were held at the U.S. State Department on April 24, the official website of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry reported.

The Turkmen side was represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov, while the American side was represented by Acting Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Horst. During the meeting, representatives of the two states confirmed their support for the C5+1 format for Central Asian countries and the United States.

Security, trade and economic ties, ecology, cultural and humanitarian sphere, and education were named as priority areas of cooperation. The countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the educational sphere.

The next meeting for bilateral consultations is planned for 2024 in Ashgabat.

During the same day, Rashid Meredov met with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. During the meeting, the parties discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, as well as the promotion of inter-Afghan dialog. They also expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in the C5+1 format.
Later, Mr. Meredov met with Chase Robinson, Director of the National Museum of Asian Art of the Smithsonian Institution of the United States, to discuss cooperation with Turkmen museums.