On October 17, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov held a regular meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers via the digital system, during which a number of state affairs were reviewed.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov reported on preparations for the upcoming "C5+1" format ministerial meeting between the countries of Central Asia and the USA.
As noted, in the policy pursued by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, special importance is attached to developing productive cooperation with various states of the world, including the United States of America. Over the past years, important mechanisms of interaction have been established with the US in areas of interest at both the national and regional levels.
A clear confirmation of this is the partnership within the "C5+1" format between the countries of Central Asia and the United States of America. The Turkmen side consistently contributes to consolidating efforts to develop cooperation and intensify the activities of this platform. In particular, from September 2025 to September 2026, Turkmenistan, together with the United States of America, co-chaired the Secretariat of the "C5+1" format.
During this period, the Turkmen side was the first to establish the practice of promoting a specific theme within this format—specifically, a theme related to the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Additionally, during the co-chairmanship of Turkmenistan and the USA, a Summit of the Heads of State of this format took place in Washington on November 6, 2025.
Guided by the instructions and directives given by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov following this high-level meeting, the Turkmen side actively participates in various events held within this format. Various meetings have taken place over recent months.
On October 19 of the current year, a meeting of the heads of foreign policy departments of the participating countries of this format will be held in the city of Samarkand. In this regard, information was presented on preparations for the said meeting, which is expected to outline the Turkmen side's position on key aspects of cooperation within the multilateral platform.
Parallel to it, business sessions with the participation of government members and entrepreneurs are planned in areas such as digital technologies, education and healthcare, critical minerals, energy and transport infrastructure, agriculture and the textile industry, finance, and investment.
As part of this event, a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State of the United States of America is scheduled, on the agenda of which it is considered appropriate to bring issues related to opportunities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest, as well as the progress of preparations for the regular Turkmen-American political consultations scheduled for November 3 of this year in Ashgabat.
As expected, following the regular ministerial meeting of this format between the states of Central Asia and the USA, a Joint Declaration of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Central Asian countries and the Secretary of State of the United States of America will be adopted.
Having heard the report, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted the immense importance of the upcoming ministerial meeting between the Central Asian states and the USA in ensuring regional sustainable economic development. In this regard, the Head of State instructed the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to properly prepare for the upcoming meeting, which is designed to promote the expansion of regional interaction, and to take active part in it.
State News Agency of Turkmenistan
