During the period of February 11-14, in accordance with the instruction of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the delegation of our country paid a working visit to the United Arab Emirates in order to exchange experience on the implementation of innovative approaches in artificial intelligence, the economy of the future, education, urbanization, healthcare, and international cooperation in Arkadag city.

Increasing interstate dialogue with the UAE, recognized as one of the economically powerful and rapidly developing states of the Middle East, is among the priority vectors of the foreign policy strategy of the independent neutral Homeland. The key factor for deepening the productive Turkmen-UAE partnership in a wide range of areas is the presence of rich natural resources and the favorable geographical location of the two countries.

The entire practice of longstanding interaction, and diplomatic relations of Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates were established in October 1995, is an indicator of the goodwill of both states, striving to bring traditional cooperation to a qualitatively new level that meets the existing colossal potential and development priorities of our countries.

This is clearly evidenced by the experience of partnership on a bilateral and multilateral basis, primarily on the platform of the largest and most authoritative international and regional organizations, as well as the exceptional fruitfulness of the meetings and negotiations held during the visits of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the UAE.

An important step towards identifying promising vectors of interstate relations was the working visit of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the UAE in January of the current year, as a result of which agreements, aimed primarily at deepening constructive interaction in the oil and gas, energy, transport, communications and other areas, were reached.

The main condition for the successful solution of long-term tasks of the comprehensive expansion of trade and economic contacts, cultural, scientific and educational ties, certainly, is the interest of Turkmenistan and the UAE in the further development of an effective partnership. The growing mutual desire to strengthen cooperation every year, supported by the practical implementation of large joint projects, is confirmed by regular negotiations between representatives of industry ministries, financial and business circles of the two states.

Another evidence of this was the results of the current official trip of our country’s delegation to the United Arab Emirates.

Thus, during the stay in Abu Dhabi and Dubai cities, a number of meetings and negotiations were held, during which it was stated that the dynamic development of bilateral relations in all directions is facilitated by regular and trusting political dialogue at the highest level. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of the visit of the Turkmen delegation to the UAE in terms of expanding the range of interaction.

It was also noted the intention to bring productive contacts to a qualitatively new level, fully consistent with the priorities of socio-economic development and the national interests of each party. At the same time, confidence was expressed that traditional Turkmen-Emirati cooperation will continue to be strengthened on a mutually beneficial long-term basis, filled with specific content.

One of the central topics of the meetings is the modernization of Arkadag city, inaugurated in 2023. The implementation of this grandiose urban development project, initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag, became a clear confirmation of the success of the policy being implemented in Turkmenistan under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, which has a pronounced social orientation and is focused on the comprehensive innovative development of the country, increasing its economic potential, a steady improving the level and quality of people’s life.

As noted at the meeting with the Deputy Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Zou Ciyong, the new city, received the special legal status of a city of national importance on a legislative basis, has no analogues in the region, and is indicative in the implementation of the “smart city” concept, which life activities integrate digital, advanced information, communication and “green” technologies. In this context, the subject of detailed discussion was the use of UNIDO experience in the construction of Arkadag city, in particular, in the creation of a medical cluster.

During negotiations with the Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Presidential Court of the UAE Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an exchange of views took place on the prospects for interstate cooperation, the potential of which allows deepening effective contacts in various fields.

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening ties in the economic sphere based on the principles of mutual benefit and taking into account each other’s interests, the parties spoke in favor of the need to make full use of promising opportunities in areas of strategic importance for Turkmenistan and the UAE.

Our country, which has colossal reserves of hydrocarbon resources, is aimed at the progressive development of mutually beneficial relations with foreign partners. As is known, the main aspects of the ongoing national policy in this area are the radical modernization of the domestic fuel and energy complex, the active introduction of advanced technologies and innovative developments, and increasing the efficiency of the mining and processing sectors. Along with this, practical steps are being taken to develop giant deposits of “blue fuel” and diversify export routes for the supply of their energy resources to international markets. All this provides ample opportunities for strengthening productive business contacts in a number of areas.

In this regard, the possibilities of increasing cooperation in the fields of natural gas, electricity, transport and logistics cooperation were put on the agenda of the meeting with the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei. Ways for further implementation of previously reached agreements and signed conventions were also substantively discussed.

In recent years, Turkmenistan has been paying great attention to the development of “green” energy, carrying out work aimed at promoting projects for the widespread use of renewable energy sources.

Based on this, members of our country’s delegation at a meeting with Deputy Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Gauri Singh exchanged views on the prospects for joint work in ensuring energy security. As emphasized, Turkmenistan actively cooperates in this area with UNDP, UNIDO, and UNEP. In the context of deepening partnerships, the parties discussed the possibility of opening a national IRENA office in our country.

During the meeting with the Managing and Executive Director of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Saeed Al Tayer, areas of bilateral relations such as water management and electricity were discussed in detail.

Representatives of the Turkmen delegation also held talks with the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and Chief Executive Officer of the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (MASDAR) Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.

The subject of discussion was the issues of strengthening contacts between the specialized structures of Turkmenistan and the UAE in the field of the oil industry, establishing cooperation on the introduction of advanced technologies of the United Arab Emirates in this industry. Based on the agreements reached at the level of the top leadership of both states, the parties spoke in favor of the need to take specific measures to implement them in the near future.

As part of their stay in the UAE, representatives of Turkmenistan took part in meetings of the World Government Summit (WGS 2024) in Dubai.

As noted in the speech at the “Effective Policy” session, in modern conditions, more than ever, it is necessary to make far-sighted decisions aimed at ensuring stability and sustainability, overcoming new serious challenges and threats. At the same time, emphasis was placed on the fact that Turkmenistan, being a responsible member of the world community, clearly formulates and implements its approaches and actions, outlining priorities according to which the contribution of our country is intended to facilitate the speedy achievement of universal goals.

Transport connectivity and sustainability were highlighted as priorities. In this context, it was emphasized that in the context of global economic transformation, the development of sustainable transport systems, logistics connectivity, and the formation of a reliable transport and communication infrastructure at the global level are of particular importance.

In recent years, the international dialogue on this issue has noticeably intensified at the United Nations. At the same time, it was stated that, at the initiative of Turkmenistan, six resolutions of the UN General Assembly in the field of sustainable transport were adopted.

At the same time, a proposal was voiced regarding the creation of a Global Atlas of Sustainable Transport Connectivity. As emphasized, its main elements should include a multilateral partnership involving governments, international organizations, research institutions, the private sector and civil society to define and implement a clear sequence of long-term joint practical steps; an open data platform that facilitates the sharing of critical information across multiple sources; constant analysis of information and development on its basis of mutually agreed decisions at the intergovernmental level.

Energy sustainability is identified as a priority, which is also one of the main vectors of Turkmenistan’s international activities. In this context, it was noted the fact that three resolutions of the UN General Assembly were adopted at the proposal of our country.

To continue the topic, it was emphasized that one of the horizontal elements of the entire range of promoted multilateral initiatives in the field of modern energy and the key condition for their successful implementation is, first, the security and stability of energy supply. In this regard, emphasis was placed on the need to consolidate efforts to solve the following tasks: creating a new international platform for cooperation between governments, energy companies and financial institutions; ensuring the exchange of best practices in energy risk management; development of effective tools for solving global and regional disruptions in energy supplies; stimulating joint investments in strategic energy infrastructure projects of international importance; promoting the formation of transparent and competitive energy markets.

In this context, Turkmenistan proposed to the governments of interested countries to create an Alliance for Cooperation in the field of global energy security and sustainable development. At the same time, the main principle of the partnership should be the indivisibility and interconnectedness of the goals of ensuring access to reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources for everyone.

The success of sustainable development largely depends on the ability to update economic approaches at the national, regional and global levels. This process is given special attention as part of the global campaign launched at the UN in December 2022 to achieve net-zero emissions targets. With the world’s population rapidly growing and the current volume of municipal solid waste, the main challenge for governments around the world is to manage available natural resources while minimizing the impact on the environment.