Asghabat, Turkmenistan, May 31
By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:
Political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs of Turkmenistan and Finland were held in Helsinki, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a statement May 31.
The delegation of Finland was headed by the Director General of the Foreign Ministry's Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Maimo Henriksson.
The sides discussed issues of bilateral relations in the spheres of politics, economy, energy and transport, cooperation within the international organizations, in particular the UN and the EU.
"Taking into account the upcoming Finnish presidency of the EU, the parties exchanged views on the development of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU institutions and countries, and put forward a number of proposals to diversify relations and bring them to a new level," said the statement.
The sides exchanged views on a number of regional issues and aspects of international security, among which were countering international challenges and disarmament in the region.
The parties noted the need to expand inter-parliamentary cooperation. The need to intensify activities to expand trade and economic cooperation was also stressed.
In recent years, Turkmenistan has intensified its interest in cooperation with the Nordic countries. In particular, the State Statistical Committee of the country earlier issued a report stating that the economic experience of Finland is of particular interest for Turkmenistan, which is gradually transiting to market relations.